EXCHANGE 


J^CIiAN 


Ube  mniverstt^  of  Cbtcaao 

FOUNDED  BY  JOHN  D.  ROCKEFELLER 


LA  BATAILLE  DE  TRENTE 

A  MIDDLE-FRENCH  POEM  OF  THE 
FOURTEENTH  CENTURY 


A  DISSERTATION 

SUBMITTED  TO  THE  FACULTY  OF  THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOLS  OF  ARTS 

AND  LITERATURE  IN  CANDIDACY  FOR  THE  DEGREE 

OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

(department  of  romance  languages) 


BY 

HENRY  RAYMOND  BRUSH 


Reprinted  from 

Modern  Philology,  Vol.  IX,  No.  4,  and  Vol.  X,  No.  i,  1912 

Chicago,  191 2 


Ube  IllnitJersitp  of  Cbtcago 

FOUNDED  BY  JOHN   D.  ROCKEFELLER 


LA  BATAILLE  DE  TRENTE 

A  MIDDLE-FRENCH  POEM  OF  THE 
FOURTEENTH  CENTURY 


A  DISSERTATION 

SUBMITTED  TO  THE  FACULTY  OF  THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOLS  OF  ARTS 

AND  LITERATURE  IN  CANDIDACY  FOR  THE  DEGREE 

OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

(department  of  romance  languages) 


BY 

HENRY  RAYMOND  BRUSH 


Reprinted  from 

Modern  Philology,  Vol.  IX,  No.  4,  and  Vol.  X,  No.  i,  1912 

Chicago,  1912 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

The  following  dissertation  had  its  inception  some  three  years  ago 
in  an  investigation  of  the  French  historical  poetry  relating  to  the 
Hundred  Years'  War.  The  original  intention  was  to  secure  a  bibli- 
ography and  classification  of  this  material,  with  the  idea  that  such  a 
work  might  prove  useful,  not  only  to  the  student  of  the  literature  of 
the  period,  but  to  the  historical  investigator  as  well.  It  was  also  the 
purpose  to  publish  such  short  poems  as  might  either  be  unprinted  or 
be  of  difficult  access  to  the  general  student. 

The  rapid  accumulation  of  material  very  soon  made  it  evident 
that  for  the  purpose  of  a  dissertation  some  one  work  of  importance 
must  be  chosen  and  the  remainder  left  for  a  more  extended  investi- 
gation than  would  be  possible  in  a  work  rather  narrowly  circum- 
scribed. My  reasons  for  choosing  the  Bataille  des  Trente  are  (1)  its 
importance  as  one  of  the  very  latest  compositions  in  the  chanson  de 
geste  style;  (2)  the  fact  that  it  had  never  been  studied  with  refer- 
ence to  historical  or  philological  points;  (3)  its  date,  authorship,  and 
the  place  of  composition  were  merely  a  matter  of  conjecture;  (4) 
although  it  had  been  published  several  times  from  one  MS,  the  text 
was  incomplete  and  had  gaps  which  another,  and  better,  MS  enable 
us  to  fill. 

It  is  a  pleasure  gratefully  to  acknowledge  the  assistance  and 
encouragement  I  have  received  from  those  who  have  been  in  touch 
with  the  investigation  from  the  start.  To  them  I  owe  many  valu- 
able hints  and  corrections,  but  they  are  in  no  way  responsible  for  any 
errors  which  may  be  found.  My  especial  thanks  are  due  to  Pro- 
fessor T.  A.  Jenkins,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  who  first  brought 
the  subject  of  historical  poetry  to  my  notice  and  whose  sound  criti- 
cism, particularly  in  the  matter  of  phonology  and  versification,  has 
been  invaluable.  I  owe  a  similar  obligation  to  Professors  W.  A. 
Nitze,  Karl  Pietsch,  and  P.  S.  Allen,  of  the  same  university,  for  many 
useful  comments.  For  practical  points  in  securing  information  I  am 
indebted  to  Professor  C.  C.  Marden,  of  Johns  Hopkins  University, 


261300 


iv  Prefatory  Note 

and  Professor  F.  M.  Warren,  of  Yale  University.  Thanks  are  also 
due  to  the  authorities  of  the  Newberry  Library  of  Chicago  and  those 
of  the  libraries  of  Harvard  and  Yale  universities  for  the  books  and 
facilities  placed  at  my  disposal.  Last,  and  by  no  means  least,  the 
aid  and  counsel  of  Professor  John  M.  Manly,  the  editor  of  Modern 
Philology,  have  been  a  valuable  assistance. 

H.  R.  Brush 


LA  BATAILLE  DE   TRENT E  ANGLOIS  ET  DE   T RENTE 

BRETONS' 

I.      HISTORICAL 

In  an  interesting  passage  of  his  Chronicles f^  Froissart  calls  attention 
to  the  popular  historical  poetry  relating  to  the  conflict  in  Brittany 
between  the  factions  of  Charles  de  Blois  and  Jean  de  Montfort,  a 
struggle  which  lasted  from  the  death  of  Duke  Jean  III  (April  30, 
1341)  to  the  battle  of  Auray  (September  29,  1364)  .3  Probably  no 
period  of  the  Hundred  Years'  War  was  so  full  of  romantic  incidents 
and  dramatic  situations  well  adapted  to  stir  the  mind  of  the  popular 
poet,  as  this  combined  civil  and  international  strife.  While  the  long 
contest  between  France  and  England  had  from  the  very  first  its  semi- 
apocryphal  record  in  poetry  of  various  kinds,  ranging  from  the 
dignified  compositions  of  writers  like  Deschamps*  to  the  coarse 
expressions  of  vulgar  superstitions  and  racial  hatred  of  unnamed 
authorship,^  probably  the  longest  of  these  compositions  relate  to  the 
Breton  wars  of  which  the  battle  of  the  Thirty  was  an  incident. 

However,  if  Froissart  recognizes  the  existence  of  this  poetry,  in 
the  passage  referred  to,  he  expresses  himself  in  plain  terms  as  to  its 
unreliability  and  tells  us  that  in  order  to  obtain  the  truth, 

ai  ge  all6  et  cherchiet  le  plus  grant  partie  de  Bretaigne,  et  enquis  et 
demand^  as  seigneurs  et  as  hiraux  les  gerrez,  les  prises,  les  assaux,  les  envaies, 
les  bataillez,  les  rescousses  et  tous  les  biauxfes  d'armes  qui  y  sont  avenut; 

and  further,  that  he  did  so, 

k  la  requests  de  mes  diz  seigneurs  et  h  ses  frais. 

1  In  the  MSS  the  poem  is  called  La  Bataille  de  Trente  Anglois  et  de  Trente  Bretons; 
Other  editors,  however,  have  styled  It  Le  Combat  des  Trente  by  which  term  it  is  frequently 
referred  to. 

2  Froissart,  ed.  S.  Luce,  Paris.  1870,  II,  265. 

s  This  contest,  due  to  the  rival  claims  of  Jean  de  Montfort  and  Jeanne  de  Penthidvre, 
wife  of  Charles  de  Blois,  belongs  to  the  domain  of  history  and  need  not  be  considered  here. 
The  most  exhaustive  treatment  is  that  of  A.  de  La  Borderie,  Histoire  de  Bretagne,  Bennes, 
1906,  III,  411  fif. 

«  Cf.  Ballade  sur  la  mort  de  Bertrand  du  Guesclin,  pub.  by  Leroux  de  Lincy  in  Chants 
hist,  frang.,  1841,  I,  258,  and  Ballade  sur  la  trhve  faite  avec  V  Angleterre,  ibid.,  p.  273. 

s  E.g.,  Leroux  de  Lincy,  "  Vaux-de-Vire  du  temps  de  I'occupation  des  Anglais,"  op. 
cit.,  pp.  300  flf.     The  very  considerable  mass  of  poetry  of  this  kind  has  never  been  pub- 
lished in  entirety  or  treated  as  a  whole.     The  editor  of  this  text  is  now  collecting  the 
material  for  a  bibliography  of  the  subject  and  expects  to  publish  it  in  due  time. 
511]  1  [MoDEEN  Philology,  April,  1912 


2  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

Consequently,  we  are  compelled  to  consider  Froissart's  criticism  both 
in  the  light  of  his  trip  to  Brittany,  which  extended  from  April,  1366, 
to  January,  1367,^  and  also  in  that  of  the  motives  which  influenced 
him  and  may  have  affected  the  accuracy  of  his  statements.  From 
his  account  we  gather  that  there  were  many  compositions  of  the 
popular  sort  and  that  the  jongleurs  had  greatly  departed  from  the 
truth.2  Froissart's  criticism  has  been  referred  to  in  this  connection.' 
But  apparently  it  has  not  been  considered  important  to  note  what 
Froissart  himself  states  a  little  farther  on  in  the  same  passage,  namely, 
that  his  original  was  Jehan  le  Bel  and  that  a  large  portion  of  the 
account  of  the  wars  in  Brittany  is  almost  a  literal  transcription  of 
the  latter's  work.  As  a  matter  of  authority  we  must  turn  at  once  to 
Jehan  le  Bel  and  if  Froissart  copies  him,  we  must  remember  that  the 
first  redaction  of  Book  I  (which  contains  the  wars  in  Brittany)  was 
written  between  1376  and  1380  at  the  instigation  of  Gui  de  Blois"*  and 
that  Froissart  never  is  consciously  unjust  to  the  English  side.  As  for 
Jehan  le  Bel,  with  whom  we  are  directly  concerned,  we  have  also  to 
remember  that  he  gained  his  information  by  inquiry  and  hearsay 
from  a  distance  and  never,  so  far  as  we  know,  visited  Brittany  as  did 
Froissart.^  He  twice  speaks  of  the  poetical  literature,  once  in  terms 
of  a  single  book  or  livre  rind  and  again  in  the  plural,  indicating  that 
he  consulted  several.     I  quote  his  words : 

Je  ne  sgay  pas  dire  toutes  les  aventures  qui  leur  sourvindrent,  car  je  n'y 
fus  pas,  et  ceulx  qui  m'en  ont  racont^  m'en  dit  en  tant  de  diverses  mani^res 
que  je  m'en  sgay  h,  quoy  tenir  de  la  verity.  J'ay  trouv4  en  ung  livre  rim6, 
que  ung  jongleur  a  fait,  tant  de  bourdes  et  de  menteries  que  je  ne  les  oseroie 
dire.  Si  me  tairay,  afiin  que  je  n'en  soye  repris  de  mensonge;  et  se  j'en 
escris  plus  avant  ou  mains  qu'il  n'en  fut,  si  me  soit  pardonn6  car  je  ne  fus  pas 
partout  ou  les  aventures  avindrent.^ 

and  again: 

1  Of.  Froissart,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  Bruxelles,  1870,  I,  Part  I,  151-55. 

2  "Pluiseur  gongleour  et  enchanteour  en  place  ont  chantS  et  rimet  lez  guerrez  de 
Bretagne  et  corromput,  par  leurs  changons  et  rimes  controuvSes,  le  juste  et  vraie  histoire, 
etc.,"  Froissart,  ed.  S.  Luce,  II,  p.  265. 

»  Cf.  Grober,  Grundriss,  II,  Part  I,  p.  1087. 

*  Cf.  Froissart,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  I,  Part  II,  p.  35. 

»  "Et  poiu-  chascun  mielx  infourmer  comment  tous  ces  maulx  avindrent  j'en  conteray 
une  partie  ainsy  que  je  le  sgay  et  que  j'en  ay  enquis  et  ouy  dire  3,  ceulx  qui  ont  est6  oH 
je  n'ay  mie  esU." — Jehan  le  Bel,  ed.  Polain,  Bruxelles,  1863, 1,  226. 

•  Op.  ciL,  II,  11  (Jehan  le  Bel  is  referring  to  events  of  1343). 

512 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  3 

Je  ne  m'ose  plus  avant  entremettre  de  conter  comment  ces  deux  grandes 
assemblies  se  departirent  ne  quelles  aventures  il  y  eut,  car  je  n'y  fus  pas  mye, 
et  jasoit  que  je  treuve  en  ces  romans  rim^s  dont  j'ay  parl4  cy  dessus  biacop 
de  choses,  neantmoins,  pour  ce  qu'elles  sont  plus  plaines  de  mensonge  que 
de  verity,  je  ne  les  ose  dire.^ 

These  references  indicate  the  existence  of  a  body  of  popular  poetry 
relating  to  current  events.  The  amount  of  this  poetry  was  probably 
much  larger  than  what  has  been  preserved  and  the  compositions  were 
unreliable  historically,  as  would  be  expected. 

The  most  famous  of  the  fes  d'armes  of  which  Froissart  speaks  is  no 
doubt  the  Bataille  de  Trente,  a  bitterly  contested  duel  by  agreement 
between  thirty  Bretons  headed  by  Jean  de  Beaumanoir,  representing 
the  party  of  Charles  de  Blois,  and  thirty  combined  English,  Ger- 
mans, and  Bretons  under  the  leadership  of  Richard  Brambro,  captain 
of  Ploermel,  for  the  party  of  Edward  III  and  Jean  de  Montfort. 
The  most  probable  cause  of  the  combat  was  the  mistreatment  of  the 
peasants  by  the  English  commander,  who  extorted  everything 
possible  from  them  by  imprisonment  and  even  bodily  torture. ^ 
Jean  de  Beaumanoir,  the  captain  of  Josselin,  remonstrated  with 
Brambro  and  was  so  discourteously  treated  that  he  challenged  the 
latter  to  fight  the  matter  out  with  an  equal  number  on  each  side.^ 
As  a  result  the  English  were  defeated  and  made  prisoners  and 
Brambro  was  killed.  This  victory,  coming  only  five  years  after  the 
disastrous  day  at  Cr^cy,*  was  one  of  the  bright  spots  for  the  French 
in  the  midst  of  a  long  list  of  calamities  and  was  celebrated  by  them 
in  the  poem  with  which  we  are  concerned.  It  was  also  celebrated  in 
the  chronicles,  whereas  the  English,  with  comprehensible  reticence, 
fail  to  make  mention  of  it  in  their  records.     For  a  long  time  it 

1  Op.  cit.,  II,  18.  He  is  speaking  of  the  armies  of  Edward  III  and  of  the  Duke  of 
Normandy. 

*  Bretagne  suffered  greatly  from  this  sort  of  treatment;  cf.  La  Borderie,  op.  cit.,  pp. 
509  and  511.  It  was  out  of  such  soldiery  that  the  great  companies  were  formed  imder 
the  leadership  of  men  like  Calverley,  KnoUes,  and  Hawkwood,  who  made  their  names  a 
terror  even  into  Italy.  (Further,  cf.  E.  de  Fr6ville,  "Des  grandes  compagnies  au  XI V« 
siScle,"  Bib.  Ec.  Charles,  l^^e  ggr..  Ill,  258-81  and  V,  232-53.) 

8  There  are  a  nxmiber  of  instances  of  this  kind  of  combat  in  the  Hundred  Years' 
War.  Cf.  the  combat  between  seven  French  and  seven  English  in  1402,  commemorated 
by  a  ballad  of  Christine  de  Pizan  (Leroux  de  Lincy,  op.  cit.,  II,  287) ;  that  of  fifteen  French 
and  fifteen  English  at  Nantes  in  1382  (cf.  La  Chronique  du  Loys  de  Bourbon,  ed.  Chazaud, 
Paris,  1876,  pp.  127-29);  of  five  EngUsh  and  five  French  at  Vannes  in  1382  (ibid.,  pp. 
130-32) ;  of  ten  Bretons  and  ten  Germans  at  Rome  in  1377  (cf .  D.  Morice,  Histoire  de 
Bretagne,  Guingamp,  1835,  V,  148). 

*  The  date  of  the  battle  of  the  Thirty  was  March  27,  1351. 

513 


4  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

does  not  seem  to  have  been  known  through  any  work  of  earlier  date 
than  the  Chronique  de  Jean  de  St.  Paul  of  1470/  and  this  circumstance 
gave  rise  to  disputes  as  to  its  authenticity .^  In  later  years  various 
accounts  of  the  Bataille  have  been  discovered  which  put  an  end  to 
any  doubt  in  the  matter.  The  earliest  historical  version  is  that  of 
Jehan  le  Bel  which  was  written  before  1357;'  then  follow  the  mention 
by  Jean  de  Venette,  the  continuator  of  the  work  of  Guillaume  de 
Nangis,  written  between  1360  and  1368,*^  by  the  author  of  the 
Chioniqae  Normande  du  XIV  Steele,  written  1369-72  ;5  by  Froissart 
in  the  first  redaction  of  Book  I  of  the  Chronicles,  written  after  1376;® 
and  in  the  Chronique  des  Quatre  Premiers  ValoisJ  There  is  also  a 
mention  by  Christine  de  Pizan  in  her  Life  of  Charles  V,  composed  in 
1403.8  These  contemporary  records  leave  no  doubt  that  the  combat 
actually  occurred.  Froissart  even  tells  us  that  he  saw  one  of  the 
combatants,  Yvain  Charruel,  at  a  banquet  of  the  king  of  France  (cf. 
ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  V,  295). 

The  question  remains  as  to  whether  any  of  these  chroniclers  ever 
saw  a  version  of  our  poem  and  whether  it  was  one  of  the  productions 
criticized  by  Jehan  le  Bel  and  Froissart.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
accounts  given  by  Jean  de  Venette,  by  the  author  of  the  Chronique 
Normande,  or  by  that  of  the  Chronique  des  Quatre  Premiers  Valois  to 
show  that  they  knew  the  poem;  their  accounts  consist  only  of  a  few 
lines  each. 

By  far  the  most  extensive  accounts  of  the  combat  are  that  of  Jehan 
le  Bel  and  the  three  versions  of  Froissart.^    The  version  of  Jehan  le 

1  Stm  unpubUshed:  MS  Arsenal  3912  (263  H.F.),  fol.  111. 
«  Cf.  Daru,  Histoire  de  Bretagne,  Paris,  1826,  II,  112  n. 

*  Cf.  Chronique  de  Jehan  le  Bel,  I,  Introduction,  p.  xxxvi. 

«  "Et  sicut  In  Plamelis  ubi  triginta  de  parte  Gallicorum  contra  triginta  de  Anglicorum 
insimul  concorditur  pugnavenmt,  ubi  pars  Anglicorum  devicta  est." — Ed.  d'Achfiry, 
Spicilegium,  Parisils,  1723,  III,  p.  106.  For  the  date  of  the  Chronicle,  cf.  H.  G6raud, 
"Guillaxune  de  Nangis  et  ses  continuateurs,"  Bib.  Ec.  Charles,  1^^  s6r..  Ill,  17  ff. 

» Ed.  A.  et  |E.  Mollnier,  Paris,  1882,  p.  101.  For  date  of  composition,  cf.  Intro- 
duction, p.  XXV. 

•  Cf.  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  I,  Part  I,  p.  36. 

">  Ed.  S.  Luce,  Soc.  de  I'histoire  de  France,  1862,  p.  20. 

8  Ed.  Abb6  le  Boeuf,  1742,  Book  II,  chap.  26,  quoted  by  De  Courcy,  Le  Combat  des 
Trente,  St.  Pol  de  Leon,  1857,  p.  17. 

« I.e.,  in  the  first  redaction  of  Book  I  (ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  V,  289  f.);  in  the  third 
redaction  of  Book  I,  written  1400-1404  (op.  cit.,  V,  291  f .) :  and  in  the  Chroniques  abrigies, 
written  1404-10  (op.  cit.,  XVII,  281f.)»  For  discussion  of  dates,  cf.  Froissart,  ed.  K.  de 
Lettenhove,  I,  part  II,  pp.  168  flf. 

514 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  5 

Bel  shows  some  discrepancies  when  compared  with  that  of  the  poem. 
Jean  de  Beaumanoir  is  styled  Robert  de  Beaumont;  nothing  is  said 
of  the  oppression  of  the  peasants  and  Beaumont  (Beaumanoir)  makes 
his  challenge  to  fight  for  the  honor  of  their  dames  whom  Brambro 
calls  amyes;  Brambro  is  ung  souldoyer  d^ Alemaigne  qu^on  appeloit 
Brandebourch;  the  day  of  the  combat  is  Wednesday;  the  sixty  are 
represented  as  meeting  and  conversing  before  the  battle  began.  On 
the  other  hand  it  is  equally  true  that  there  are  expressions  in  Jehan 
le  Bel's  account  which  strikingly  recall  certain  lines  of  the  poem. 
Beaumont  (Beaumanoir)  asks  the  English  leader  if  he  has  ''nulz 
compaignons  ou  deux  ou  trois"  who  will  respond  to  challenge  (cf.  D 
110,^  ou  trois  ou  cinq  ou  six,  etc.);  Brambro  says  "je  vous  diray  que 
nous  ferons,  s'il  vous  plaist"  (cf.  B67,  or  le  faison,  Bomcbourc,  s'il 
vous  plaist,  sagement);  and  "aussy,  fait  Brandebourch,  le  jure-je" 
(cf.  B72,  "Sire/'  ce  dit  Bourcbourc,  "et  je  le  vous  fianV).  We  may 
also  compare  '^Ainsy  fut  ceste  besogne  acord^e"  with  D107,  B73, 
Ainsin  fust  (fu)  la  bataille,  etc.;  ''chascun  des  soixante  se  pourvei 
d'armeures  ainsy  qu'il  poenf  with  Dill,  Sans  election  d'armes, 
ainsin  se  comhatroient,  en  guise  et  maniere  que  chascun  le  vouldroint; 
also  "Quant  le  jour  fut  venu  les  trente  compaignons  Brandebourch 
ouirent  messe"  with  D225,  Quant  le  temps  fust  passe  et  le  jour  fust 
venu;  and  D223,  ilfist  dire  des  messes  par  grant  devocions;  also  "si  les 
convint  reposer  par  acord,  Tung  d'une  part  et  Taultre  d'aultre"  with 
B313-14,  Et  toux  par  ordenance  firent  petticion,  dialler  toux  querre  a 
hoire  d  nulle  arrestezon.  Jehan  le  Bel  also  mentions  the  fact  that  the 
English  were  finally  routed  by  a  Frenchman  mounted  on  horseback, 
but  he  does  not  speak  of  Montauban  by  name.  Lastly,  he  indicates 
one  of  his  sources  at  least  as  being  among  the  participators  in  the 
combat,  e.g.,  ainsy  Vay-je  oui  raconter  a  ceulx  qui  y  furent. 

The  three  accounts  that  Froissart  gives  in  the  redactions  above 
mentioned  are  practically  repetitions  of  the  account  of  Jehan  le  Bel 
with  some  additions,  of  which  two  are  worthy  of  notice.  Beginning 
his  account  with  the  same  sentence  as  Jehan  le  Bel,  he  adds  the 
following,  m£s  le  doit-on  mettre  avant  pour  tous  hacelers  encorragier 
(cf.  B2).  Again,  in  the  third  redaction  {op.  cit,  p.  294)  he  adds  the 
following  to  his  previous  version,  "Vous  poes  bien  croire  qu'il  firent 

1  D  refers  to  the  Didot  MS  of  the  poem;  B  to  the  Bigot  MS. 

515 


6  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

entre  yaus  mainte  belle  apertise  d'armes,  gens  pour  gens,  corps  k 
corps,  et  main  k  main;  on  rCavoit  point  en  devant^  passet  avoit  C  ans, 
oy  recorder  la  cose  pareille"  with  Which  we  compare — 

Sy  s'esbatront  souvent  gentilz  hons  et  clarjons 

De  cy  jusqu  k  cent  ans,  pour  vray  en  leurs  maisons. — B12  (also  D12). 

Did  Jehan  le  Bel  have  our  poem  before  him  at  the  time  he  wrote 
his  account  of  the  event  ?  We  think  probably  not,  but  it  seems  likely 
that  he  had  seen  it  in  some  form  or  heard  a  portion  of  it  recited.  The 
outline  of  the  story  is  the  same  in  the  poem  and  in  his  account,  the 
verbal  coincidences  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  attract  attention, 
and  the  lack  of  more  exact  parallels  can  be  explained  as  due  to  the 
great  condensation  in  the  chronicle.  The  discrepancies  can  be 
explained  by  Jehan's  preference  for  hearsay  evidence  rather  than  the 
testimony  of  a  livre  rim6,  and  it  is  not  astonishing  that  he  fails  to 
mention  the  poem  since  others  who  have  used  it  have  done  the  same.^ 
The  substitution  of  Beaumont  for  Beaumanoir  is  probably  an  attempt 
to  reflect  glory  on  Jehan  le  Bel's  patron,  the  sire  de  Beaumont,  for 
whom  the  author  wrote  his  chronicle  ;2  the  name  Brandebourch  and 
the  statement  that  he  was  a  German  is  also  comprehensible  ;3  and  as 
the  two  leaders  represented  the  warring  duchesses,  we  can  appreciate 
Jehan's  readiness  to  assign  this  cause  for  the  battle  in  place  of  an 
act  of  humanity  not  quite  so  much  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  the 
fourteenth  century. 

There  is  nothing  in  Froissart's  first  account  to  indicate  that  he  had 
seen  more  than  the  narrative  of  Jehan  le  Bel,  but  the  addition  quoted 
from  the  third  redaction  seems  to  indicate  that  he  knew  of  the  poem 
by  that  time.  He  had  also  had  opportunity  to  get  testimony  from 
those  present  in  the  combat,  for  he  mentions  Yvain  Charruel  by  name. 
Even  then,  his  account  contains  inaccuracies.^ 

The  poem  was  also  the  source  of  the  Chronique  de  Jean  de  St. 
Paul,  already  mentioned;  it  was  used  by  D'Argentre  in  his  account;^ 

1  The  Chronique  de  Jean  de  St.  Paul  bears  evidence  in  every  line  of  being  a  copy  of  the 
poem;  not  only  hemisticlis,  but  in  one  case  a  whole  couplet  with  rimes  is  incorporated. 
Yet  no  credit  is  given  to  the  poem. 

«  Cf.  Froissart,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  I,  Part  I,  p.  5. 

»  Cf.  Introduction  II,  imder  Brambro. 

« E.g.,  his  inclusion  of  Enguerrand  d'Endin  and  Hues  de  Raincevaus  in  the  list  of 
combatants. 

s  "  I  'ay  veu  un  tres-ancien  livre,  traitant  de  ce  combat,  fait  en  mauvaise  rithme,  d6s 
le  mesme  temps,  comme  il  est  ^  croire." — D'Argentr6,  Histoire  de  Bretagne,  Paris,  1588, 
p.  300. 

516 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  7 

by  Dom  Lobineau,^  by  Dom  Morice,^  and  all  investigations  so  fa 
made  in  the  light  of  modern  research  go  to  confirm  its  historical 
accuracy.  The  event  which  it  celebrates  was  one  held  dear  by  the 
Bretons  and  handed  down  from  century  to  century.  A  plot  of 
ground  near  My-voie,  half-way  from  Josselin  to  Ploermel,  which 
was  the  scene  of  the  combat,  is  still  called  the  "Champ  aux  An- 
glais,"^  for  here,  according  to  legend,  the  dead  of  Brambro's  party 
were  buried.  As  late  as  the  early  nineteenth  century  the  popular 
poets  were  still  composing  lays  telling  of  the  victory  won  from  the 
EngHsh.4 

II.    the  combatants 

The  names  of  the  antagonists  in  the  Bataille  de  Trente  vary  in  the 
two  MSS  and  also  in  the  various  chronicles  of  Brittany.  Those  of 
the  Bretons  remain  fairly  constant  and  the  historians  seem  to  be 
in  substantial  agreement,  which  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
knights  all  belonged  to  well-known  Breton  families.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  members  of  the  English  party  were  for  the  most  part  for- 
eigners, and  their  names  were  consequently  subject  to  misunderstand- 
ing and  corruption.  They  were  also  mostly  of  inferior  rank,  common 
soldiers  of  adventure,  known  in  many  cases  by  the  first  name  and 
a  characteristic  epithet.  The  scribe  of  B  seems  to  have  been  more 
familiar  with  English  names,  for  he  does  not  mangle  them  out  of  recog- 
nizable shape  as  does  the  scribe  of  D;  but  he  makes  some  mistakes 
in  the  rendering  of  the  Breton  names  with  which  he  is  evidently  unfa- 
miliar. Though  B  and  D  give  evidence  of  being  copied  from  different 
MSS,  the  ultimate  source  must  have  been  the  same,  as  the  names  occur 
in  precisely  the  same  order  and  are  the  same  in  number  if  we  accept 
the  reading  Le  Fonstenais  in  D159  instead  of  the  plural.  Lists  of  the 
combatants  occur  in  the  works  of  D'Argentre,  Lobineau,  Morice, 
and  in  the  unpublished  Chronique  de  Jean  de  St.  Paul,  of  1473.^    In 

1  Dom  Lobineau,  Histoire  de  Bretagne,  Paris,  1707,  I,  343. 

2  Dom  Morice,  Histoire  de  Bretagne,  Guingamp,  1835. 
»  De  Courcy,  op.  cit.,  p.  15. 

«  Th.  Hersart  de  VillemarquS,  Barzas  Breiz,  6th  ed.,  Paris,  1867,  pp.  193  f.,  for  poem 
"Stourm  ami  Tregont." 

8  This  I  have  consulted  in  the  portion  quoted  by  De  Courcy,  op.  cit.,  pp.  19-26.  The 
work  of  Alain  Bouchard  (Les  grandes  chroniques  de  Bretagne,  Rennes,  1887,  pub.  by 
Maignien  in  Publications  de  la  sociitS  des  bibliophiles  bretons,  and  in  5  editions,  1514-41) 
does  not  contain  a  mention  of  the  Bataille.  I  have  not  been  able  to  consult  the  work  of 
Pierre  le  Baud  (first  composed  about  1480;  cf.  De  Courcy,  op.  cit.,  p.  15,  n.).  D'Argentrg, 
however,  mentions  his  acquaintance  with  the  work. 

517 


8  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

the  last-mentioned  work  the  names  agree  almost  exactly  with  those 
in  the  poem  and  occur  in  the  same  order,  with  but  two  exceptions. 
Lobineau  and  Morice  practically  agree  with  each  other,  but 
D'Argentr^  omits  some  names  and  substitutes  others.  D  and  B 
enumerate  30  Bretons,  including  Beaumanoir;  Lobineau,  Morice, 
and  Jean  de  St.  Paul  give  31,  while  D'Argentr4  increases  the  list  to 
32.  In  regard  to  Le  Fontenais  he  remarks  that  some  include  *'deux 
fr^res  de  la  maison  de  Fontenais."^  The  last  four  chroniclers 
mention  a  Messire  Huon  de  St.  Yvon  after  Robin  Raguenel.  The  line 
in  D,  mentioning  Raguenel  reads, 

Et  Robin  Raganel,  ou  nom  de  Saintt  Symon  (145), 
while  in  B  we  have 

Et  Robin  Raguenel,  en  non  de  Saint  Y[v]on  (106). 

It  seems  probable  that  the  chroniclers  are  in  error  here.  Jehan  le 
Bel  mentions  only  Beaumanoir  by  name;  he  is  followed  by  Froissart 
who,  however,  in  another  passage,  speaks  of  Yvain  Charruel  and  two 
others,  not  elsewhere  mentioned,  Enguerrant  d'Endin,  **un  bon 
chevalier  de  Picardie'^  and  *'un  bon  escuyer,"  Hues  de  Raincevaus. 
The  following  brief  summary  of  references  regarding  the  knights  is 
taken  in  part  from  De  Courcy  who  traces  the  genealogies. 

The  Bretons 

1.  Jean  de  Beaumanoir,  the  Breton  leader,  is  a  well-known  figure 
in  history,  his  name  occurring  frequently .^  We  find  him  at  the  battle 
of  Mauron  in  1352;  as  one  of  the  ambassadors  sent  the  same  year  to 
England  to  treat  for  the  ransom  of  Charles  de  Blois;  as  governor  of 
Brittany  in  1357  when,  by  convention,  the  Duke  of  Lancaster  gave 
him  the  keys  of  Rennes;  as  one  of  the  hostages  of  the  treaty  of  Evran 
in  1363;  as  a  prisoner  at  Auray  where  Blois  was  killed  in  1364,  and  as 
representing  the  widow  at  the  treaty  of  Gu^rande  in  1365.  He  died 
1365-66.     His  will  is  preserved  in  MS  Bib.  Nat.  5842.3 

2.  (Le  sire  de)  Tinteniac,  or  Tintiniac  as  D'Argentre  and  Lobineau 
call  him,  was  seigneur  also  of  B^cherel  and  Romille  in  Normandy. 

1  Cf.  D'Argentrg,  op.  ciU,  p.  301. 

«  Cf.  Index  to  Vol.  II  of  Cuvelier,  Bertrand  du  Guesclin,  s.  nom.,  Chronique  dea  Quatre 
Premiers  Valois,  op.  ciL,  pp.  159,  193,  214,  331-34;  and  by  Froissart  (cf.  ed.  K.  de  Letten- 
hove.  Index,  Vol.  XX).     Cf.  also  De  Courcy,  p.  27  and  Levot,  Biog.  Bret.  (1852),  I,  69-71. 

3  Cf.  Bib.  Ec.  Chartea,  LVII  (1896),  p.  190. 

518 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  9 

He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Mauron  in  1352.  According  to  De 
Courcy  (p.  28)  his  granddaughter  was  the  second  wife  of  Bertrand  du 
Guesclin;  a  later  member  of  the  family  was  Gaspard  de  Coligny, 
killed  in  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  (cf.  also  Levot,  Biog.  Bret, 
1857,  II,  899). 

3.  Guy  de  Rochefort,  called  by  De  Courcy  the  seigneur  de  Harleix 
to  distinguish  him  from  his  nephew,  Guy  de  Rochefort,  seigneur 
d'Asserac,  is  mentioned  in  a  document  received  some  months  later 
(July,  1351)  at  Dinan  by  Thibaut  de  Rochefort,  his  cousin  germain. 
In  the  same  document  are  mentioned  Caro  de  Bod^gat  and  Hugues 
Catus.i  In  1354  he  took  the  chateau  of  Nantes  from  the  English 
(D'Argentr^,  p.  303) ;  and  his  name  occurs  in  a  document  of  Vitr^  in 
1356,  after  which  he  is  lost  to  history  (cf.  De  Courcy,  p.  29  and 
Levot,  op.  cit,  II,  737). 

4.  Charruelj  called  Yves,  Yvain  or  Even,  seigneur  of  Gu^rand.  He 
aided  in  1342  in  the  defense  of  Rennes,  was  sent  in  1352  to  England 
to  aid  in  the  ransom  of  Charles  de  Blois,  was  chosen  in  1357  to 
negotiate  the  prolongation  of  the  truce  concluded  at  Bordeaux,  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  the  battle  of  Cocherel  in  Normandy  in  1364 
(cf.  D'Argentr^,  Book  V,  chap,  xl),  and  is  cited  in  1369  in  the  quality 
of  commissioner  to  receive  at  Vitr^  the  montres  of  men  at  arms,  after 
which  his  name  disappears.^  Froissart  (ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove, 
XVII,  284)  tells  of  seeing  him  at  a  banquet,  and  he  is  mentioned 
four  times  in  the  Chronique  des  Quatre  Premiers  Valois  {op.  cit.,  pp. 
137,  140,  145,  159).     Further,  see  Levot,  op.  cit.,  I,  300-301. 

5.  Robin  Raguenel,  seigneur  of  Ch^teauloger,  was  the  son  of  the 
counsellor  of  the  dukes  Jean  II,  Arthur  II,  and  Jean  III.  Dom 
Morice  {Preuves,  I,  col.  1479)  gives  a  discharge  of  1352,  sealed  with 
his  arms.  A  daughter,  Tiphaine,  was  the  first  wife  of  Bertrand  du 
Guesclin.3 

6.  Caro  de  Bodegat,  seigneur  de  Bod^gat,  is  cited  only  in  the  poem 
and  in  the  document  of  July  1, 1351,  already  mentioned  in  connection 
with  Gui  de  Rochefort.    None  of  his  descendants  are  known.'* 

1  In  view  of  the  fact  that  neither  D'ArgentrS,  Morice,  or  Lobineau  include  Catns  in 
the  list  of  combatants,  this  document  is  important  as  circumstantially  confirming  the 
testimony  of  the  poem. 

2  Cf.  De  Courcy,  p.  30. 

»  Cf.  ibid.,  p.  33,  and  Levot,  op.  cit.,  II,  677.       *  Cf.  De  Courcy,  p.  34. 

519 


10  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

7.  Guillaume  de  la  Marche.  According  to  De  Courcy  (p.  31),  there 
seems  to  be  some  uncertainty  regarding  the  family  of  this  knight. 
His  arms  are  given  by  D.  Morice  {Preuves,  I,  cols.  1482-83)  from 
discharges  dated  August  11,  1352,  and  he  was  killed  three  days  later 
at  Mauron  with  the  sire  de  Tmt^niac,  as  the  poem  of  Guillaume  de  St. 
Andr6  recalls.^ 

8.  Olivier  Arrely  seigneur  of  Kermarquer,  accompanied  Blois  to 
the  siege  of  La  Roche  Derrien  in  1347,  but  not  much  else  is  known  of 
him.* 

9.  Jehan  Rousselet  or  Rousselot,  according  to  De  Courcy  (p.  38), 
was  a  nephew  of  Raoul,  bishop  of  St.  Malo  in  1310,  of  Laon  in  1323.' 

10.  Geffroi  du  Bois  is  found  in  a  montre  of  Jean  de  Beaumanoir,  of 
June  22, 1351,  in  which  figure  also  Alain  de  Keranrais,  Louis  Goueon, 
Olivier  de  Fontenay,  and  Tristan  de  Pestivien  and  likewise  with  the 
same  in  a  montre  of  October  10,  1351,  from  which  time  on  he 
disappears.  De  Courcy  says  that  it  is  impossible  to  state  to  which 
of  the  twelve  Breton  families  of  that  name  he  belonged.  It  will  be 
noted  that  in  D384  he  calls  Beaumanoir  his  "cousin  germain'* 
(cf.  Levot,  op.  cit.j  I,  569). 

11.  Guillaume  de  Montauhan,  who  decided  the  fate  of  the  battle, 
was  present  at  Mauron,  August  14,  1352.  De  Courcy  (p.  39)  gives 
his  ancestry  and  states  that  he  died  unmarried  and  childless  (cf. 
Levot,  op.  cit.,  II,  486). 

12.  Alain  de  TinUniac  is  mentioned  as  accompanying  Charles  de 
Blois  to  the  siege  of  Quimper  in  1344^  and  was  still  living  in  1356,  as 
attested  by  a  discharge  cited  by  D.  Morice  (Preuves,  I,  col.  1506;  cf. 
Levot,  op.  cit,  II,  899). 

13.  Tristan  de  Pestivien  was  a  younger  brother  of  Jean,  baron  de 
Pestivien  and  appears  later  in  montres  of  June  22  and  October  11, 
1351  (cf.  De  Courcy,  p.  41,  and  Levot,  op.  cit.,  II,  594-95). 

14.  15.  Alain  and  Olivier  de  Keranrais.  The  uncle  is  not  men- 
tioned later  but  Alain  is  found  in  montres  of  June  22  and  August  30, 
1351.  De  Courcy  (p.  52)  gives  the  later  history  of  the  family,  which 
became  extinct  after  1550  (cf.  Levot,  op.  cit.,  II,  7-8). 

1  Litre  du  bon  due  Jehan,  par  G.  de  St.  Andr6.  ed.  Charri6re,  1835,  11.  487  fl. 
«  Cf.  Levot,  op.  cit.,  I,  36-37.  » Ibid.,  II,  787-88. 

*  Enguite  pour  la  canonisation  de  Charles  de  Blois  en  1371  (Dom  Morice,  Preuves,  II, 
col.  28,  quoted  by  De  Courcy,  p.  40). 

520 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  11 

16.  Louys  Gouyon,  Goyon  or  Goueon  was  a  younger  son  of  Etienne, 
seigneur  de  Matignon,  and  appears  in  montres  of  June  22  and  August 
30,  1351,  already  cited,  as  well  as  in  a  discharge  signed  with  his  arms 
and  dated  July  9,  1351.  De  Courcy  (p.  43)  says  that  his  family  was 
later  connected  by  marriage  with  that  of  Chateaubriand's  mother 
(cf.  Levot,  op.  ciL,  I,  826-27). 

17.  {Olivier)  de  Fontenay  is  mentioned  in  the  montre  of  August  30, 
1351,  with  the  four  companions — Du  Bois,  Pestivien,  Keranrais,  and 
Goueon — from  whom  he  appears  inseparable.  According  to  De 
Courcj^  (p.  44)  the  name  comes  from  a  manor  near  Rennes.  There 
is  a  question  whether  another  of  the  name  was  also  a  participator  in 
the  Bataille;  D  apparently  so  indicates,  but  B  speaks  of  only  one  as 
does  the  Chronique  de  Jean  de  St.  Paul.  Lobineau  and  Dom  Morice 
say  positively,  *'les  deux  Fontenais,"  while  D'Argentr^  quotes  the 
fact  on  hearsay  (cf.  Levot,  op.  dt.,  I,  709). 

18.  Huet,  Hauguet  or  Hugues  Catus,  seigneur  of  Breuil  in  Bas- 
Poitou,  is  descended  from  a  family  mentioned  as  early  as  1185.  His 
name  is  found  in  the  montre  of  July  1,  1351,  with  Rochefort  and 
Bodegat.^  The  Chronique  de  St.  Paul  speaks  of  him,  but  he  is  not 
included  in  the  lists  of  the  Breton  historians  (cf.  Levot,  op.  dt,  I, 
267). 

19.  Geffroi  de  la  Roche,  to  whose  grandfather  the  poem  refers  (cf. 
note  to  D163-B122),  is  not  mentioned  in  later  records  and  De  Courcy 
is  unable  to  establish  his  family  connections.  He  does  not  think  it 
probable  that  he  was  of  Poitevin  origin  (op.  dt.,  p.  46;  cf.  Levot,  op. 
dt.,  II,  735-37). 

20.  Geffroi  Poulart  was  the  son  of  Pierre  Poulart,  the  treasurer  of 
the  Countess  of  Blois,  who  founded  the  abbey  of  Beaufort  in  1364. 
Other  sons  of  Pierre  receive  mention  in  history  but  not  Geffroi  (cf. 
De  Courcy,  p.  47^48;  see  also  Levot,  op.  dt.,  II,  655). 

21.  Morice  de  Trezeguidy  came  of  a  crusading  family.  His 
presence  in  the  Bataille  is  attested  not  only  by  the  poem  but  also  by 
the  Histoire  de  Louis  II,  Due  de  Bourbon,  composed  in  1429  by  Jean 
d'Orronville,2  and  he  is  mentioned  by  Christine  de  Pizan  in  a  letter, 

1  De  Courcy  says  that  a  part  of  the  genealogy  of  the  family  was  written  by  AndrS  du 

Chesne  (Hist,  de  la  Maison  de  Chateignier,  1634). 

2  Ed.  of  Jean  Papire  Masson,  1612,  chap,  xv  (quoted  by  De  Courcy). 

521 


12  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

dated  October  2,  1402,  with  Du  Guesclin  as  an  example  of  those  who 
loved  loyally.  The  Chronique  de  St.  Paul  gives  his  name,  but  the 
Benedictines  confuse  him  with  the  family  of  Tronguidy.  D'Argentr^ 
calls  him  ^^Huet"  or  '^Morice  de  Tronguidy,"  Lobineau  says  '^Morice 
de  Tronguidy'*  and  mentions  also  a  ^'Geslin  de  Tronguidy"  which  is 
repeated  in  the  version  of  D.  Morice.  He  is  mentioned  in  a  montre 
of  Vitr6  of  1357,  of  1363  at  Chdteaugontier,  and  many  times  after  in 
succeeding  years.  He  was  captain  of  Paris  in  1380  (pay  1,200  livres 
parisis)  and  was  still  living  in  1395,  according  to  papers  of  a  suit  sus- 
tained against  Olivier  de  Guesclin.^   See  also  Levot,  op.  dt,  II,  928-29. 

22.  Guyon  de  Pont  Blanc,  not  mentioned  elsewhere,  although  De 
Courcy  quotes  various  members  of  the  family.  He  is  not  given  by 
D'Argentr^  in  the  list  of  combatants.    See  Levot,  op.  cit.,  II,  633. 

23.  Morice  du  Pare  is  mentioned  in  the  enquite  for  the  canonization 
of  Charles  de  Blois,  in  1371. ^  He  was  later  the  captain  of  Quimper, 
contributed  5,000  icus  in  1359  to  ransom  Blois,  aided  m  the  rout  of 
the  English  before  Chisey  in  Poitou  in  1372,  and  was  governor  of 
La  Rochelle  m  1373.3    Cf.  Levot,  op.  cit.,  II,  564-65. 

24.  Geffroi  de  Beaucours  or  Beau^orps  came  of  a  family  from  St. 
Brieuc,  according  to  the  Preuves  of  P.  Anselme,  V,  400,  which  De 
Courcy  quotes  (p.  52).  Various  members  of  the  family  appear  in 
records  during  the  period.     See  Levot,  op.  dt.,  1,  67. 

25.  Lanlop  or  Villong.  D172  says  celuy  de  Villong  (which  La  Bor- 
derie*  suggests  should  be  Villeon);  B132  says  celuy  de  Lenlop,  while 
the  Chronique  de  St.  Paul  calls  him  Geslin  de  Lanloup  and  the  Benedic- 
tine historians  do  not  include  him  in  the  list  at  all.  De  Courcy  (p.  53) 
notes  the  fact  that  he  is  wrongly  called  Geslin  d'Entra^uy  (which 
name  is  unknown  in  the  chartes)  by  D'Argentre  and  Geslin  de 
Troguindy  by  Dom  Morice.  De  Courcy  traces  the  family  for  several 
centuries  and  appears  to  establish  Lanlop's  connection  with  the 
battle.  The  la  Villong  of  D  may  possibly  refer  to  some  other  estate 
which  he  possessed. 

26.  Geoffroi  Moelon  or  Mellon,  was  probably  of  a  family  of  this 
name  at  Rennes.     A  member  of  the  family  was  one  of  the  signers  of 

»  Cf.  Preuves  of  D.  Morice,  quoted  by  De  Courcy,  op.  cit..  pp.  4&-50. 
»  Cf.  note  to  Alain  de  TinUniac. 

*  Le  Laboureur,  p.  54,  quoted  by  De  Courcy,  op.  cit.,  p.  51. 

*  La  Borderie,  op.  cit.,  p.  517.  n.  2. 

522 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  13 

the  association  of  nobility  of  Rennes,  formed  in  1379  to  repel  foreign 
invasion.  De  Courcy  (p.  34)  states  that  descendants  still  exist  (i.e. 
in  1857).     See  also  Levot,  op.  dt,  II,  453-55. 

27.  Jehannot  de  Servant  or  Desserain  (Sevens,  D'Argentre;  Sevvent, 
Lobineau  and  Morice),  is  mentioned  by  all  the  chroniclers  and  was 
the  son  of  Alain  de  Serent,  seigneur  of  Tromeur.  Jehannot  de  Serent, 
in  1356,  gave  a  discharge  signed  with  his  arms.^  His  name  and  that 
of  Jean,  his  eldest  son,  are  frequently  cited  in  montves  of  Olivier  de 
Clisson,  in  1375  and  following  years.     See  also  Levot,  op.  cit,  II,  847. 

28.  Oliviev  Monteville.  B  has  the  right  version  of  the  name  and  is 
confirmed  by  all  historians;  the  Bouteville  of  D  is  an  error.  He  was 
seigneur  of  Launay  and  various  members  of  the  family  are  quoted  in 
records  of  the  time.     See  also  Levot,  op.  cit.,  II,  492. 

29.  Guillaume  de  la  Lande  is  quoted  by  both  MSS  and  in  all 
historical  accounts.  He  was  probably  a  younger  son  of  the  family, 
which  had  its  seat  at  Guichen  (lUe-et-Vilaine).  He  was  a  signer  of 
the  treaty  of  Gu^rande  in  1365.^ 

30.  Simon  Richavd  {Pachavt  in  B)  was  seigneur  of  Kerjean 
(Finistere)  and  appears  in  a  montve  received  by  Charruel  in  1356  and  in 
one  of  Du  Guesclin  in  1370,  he  ratified  the  treaty  of  La  Roche  Derrien, 
May  2,  1381,  to  which  his  seal  is  appended.  His  name  disappears 
after  1382.     Further  cf.  De  Courcy,  p.  58  and  Levot,  op.  dt,  II,  704. 

In  addition  to  the  names  listed  in  the  poem  and  in  place  of  some 
of  them,  D'Argentr^  mentions  Mauvice  and  Geslin  d'Entvaguy,  who 
have  already  been  discussed,  Alexandve  Favdet,  Robin  de  Beaumont, 
Hatevel  and  a  Huon  de  St.  Yvon  who  is  also  quoted  by  all  the  chroni- 
clers. De  Courcy  (p.  34)  calls  him  seigneur  of  St.  Hugeon  (Cotes- 
du-Nord)  and  says  he  does  not  occur  in  history  after  this.  He  would 
have  increased  the  list  of  combatants  to  31.  The  others  quoted  by 
D'Argentre  are  not  mentioned  elsewhere,  so  far  as  I  know. 

The  English 

The  identification  of  the  Englishmen  is  extremely  difficult,  as 

compared  with  that  of  the  Bretons.     They  were  mostly  chosen  from 

mercenaries  engaged  in  the  service  of  Montfort.     For  a  number,  the 

poem  is  our  only  reference,  although  a  few,  such  as  Calverley,  Knolles, 

1  Quoted  by  De  Courcy,  p.  55. 

2  D.  Morice,  Preuves  I,  col.  1598,  seals  249  (quoted  by  De  Courcy,  p.  56). 

523 


14  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

and  Croquart,  are  figures  known  in  history.  Their  names  were 
unfamiliar  to  the  author  of  the  poem  and  are  in  the  majority  of  cases 
mangled  out  of  all  recognizable  shape.  The  task  is  made  more 
difficult  because  in  a  number  of  instances  only  the  first  name  is  given, 
together  with  an  epithet  that  is  usually  uncomplimentary .^  The 
poem  itself  calls  them  mercenaries  (D137)  and  the  humble  origin  of 
at  least  one  (D91-95)  is  also  affirmed. 

1.  Richard  Brambro  (D,  Bramhroc(h),  B,  Bomchourc,  Bourcbourc) 
the  captain  himself,  cannot  be  identified  with  positive  certainty. 
De  Courcy  (p.  60)  considers  him  an  Englishman  and  notes  that  a 
family  of  this  name  existed  in  Brittany  down  to  the  sixteenth  century. 
According  to  Cuvelier  {op.  cit.,  I,  40)  a  Richard  Bemhro,  captain  of 
Fougeray,  was  killed  at  the  capture  of  that  place  by  Du  Guesclin  in 
1353  and  a  Guillaume  Bembro  was  wounded  in  single  combat  by  the 
same  (p.  69).  I  have  been  imable  to  secure  information  in  regard  to 
Brambro  from  a  search  made  for  me  in  the  documents  of  the  British 
Record  Office,  as  many  records  of  the  time  are  lost.  The  affairs  of  the 
English  in  Brittany  seem  to  have  been  in  a  confused  state  from  the 
death  of  Thomas  Daggeworth^  to  the  coming  of  the  king's  lieutenant- 
general,  Gautier  de  Bentley,  in  the  early  autumn  of  1352.^  During 
this  period  the  English  power  was  represented  by  the  captains  of  the 
various  places.  Jehan  le  Bel  (ed.  Polain,  p.  163)  speaks  of  Brambro 
as  "ung  souldoyer  d'Alemaigne  qu'on  appeloit  Brandebourch." 
This  statement  Froissart  copies.  But  we  have  seen  reasons  for 
doubting  Jehan  le  Bel's  accuracy;  it  is  quite  possible  that,  as  there 
were  Germans  in  the  combat,  he  confused  their  leader  with  them 
and  from  the  similarity  of  names  called  him  Brandebourch  (Branden- 
burg), a  name  which  occurs  in  the  operations  of  the  early  part  of  the 
Hundred  Years'  War.*  Froissart  went  in  person  to  Brittany  and  we 
may  ask  why  he  did  not  correct  Jehan  le  Bel's  error;  but,  when  we 
remember  that  the  former  was  a  prot^g^  of  Queen  Philippa  of  England 
and  is  in  other  ways  closely  connected  with  the  English,  it  seems 
natural  that  he  should  allow  the  disgrace  of  the  defeat  to  rest  on  the 

1  E.g.,  Brambro  is  "le  felon"  others  are  designated  as  "renart,  musart,  couart,  con- 
tart,"  etc. 

*  Killed  near  Auray,  in  August,  1350;  cf.  La  Borderie,  op.  cit.,  Ill,  p.  509. 
»  Cf.  La  Borderie,  op.  cit.,  p.  531. 
*  Cf.  Knyghton,  Rolls  Series,  XCII,  11  (year  1339). 

524 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  15 

shoulders  of  a  German.  On  the  other  hand,  the  circumstantial 
evidence  that  Brambro  was  an  Englishman  is  very  strong.  The 
author  of  the  Chronique  Normande  {op.  dt,  p.  100)  speaks  of  "Robert 
Brambroc,  chef  d'iceulz  Engloiz."  It  hardly  seems  natural  that  a 
foreigner  should  be  in  command  over  such  Englishmen  of  note  as 
Knolles  and  Calverley.  Still  more  striking  is  the  fact  that  in  the 
same  county  of  Cheshire  from  which  the  two  last  named  came  lies  the 
town  of  Bamborough.^  A  Bamborough  family  existed  there  in  the 
fourteenth  century  and  in  the  records  the  name  is  similar  to  the  form 
in  the  poem.^  We  know  that  such  companies  as  served  in  the  wars 
in  France  were  frequently  recruited  from  one  locality  and  served 
under  their  liege  lord.  It  therefore  seems  reasonable  that  Richard 
Brambro  was  no  German  but  an  Englishman  from  Cheshire. 

2.  Robert  Knolles  (D,  Crolles;  B,  Canolez;  D'Argentre,  Knole; 
Lobineau,  Cnole)  was  one  of  the  best-known  figures  of  the  Hundred 
Years'  War.  He  was  bom  in  Cheshire  about  1317  and  after  an 
adventurous  life  in  the  French  wars  he  returned  to  England  in  1381 
and  died  about  1406  at  his  estate  in  Kent.^  The  most  reliable 
accounts  of  his  life  are  given  by  De  Courcy  (pp.  61-62)  and  by 
Ormerod  {Hist,  of  Cheshire,  II,  764).  Additional  notes  of  interest 
are  recorded  by  D'Auvergne  in  Archeologia,  VI  (1782),  p.  144  f. 

3.  Calverley.  Sir  Hugh  de  Calverley  or  Calveley  was  of  a  family  of 
Cheshire,  township  of  Lea  in  Broxton  Hundred.  The  genealogy  of 
the  family  is  given  by  Ormerod.'^  The  Bataille  was  Calverley's  first 
appearance  in  history  and  from  this  time  on  until  1383  his  name  is 
frequent  in  the  chronicles.  De  Courcy  (pp.  63-64)  reviews  his  life 
and  mentions  that  at  the  combat  of  Montmuran  in  1354  he  was 
captured  by  Enguerrand  de  Hedin,  or  Endin,  a  Picard  nobleman, 
whom  Froissart  wrongly  styled  one  of  the  Thirty. 

4.  Croquart  was  a  German  adventurer  who  rose  from  the  position 
of  valet  to  one  of  wealth  and  military  dignity.^  He  remained  faithful 
to  the  English  although  the  French  king  tried  to  bribe  him.     Froissart 

1  Township  of  Lea  in  Broxton  Hundred. 

2  Cf.  Recognizance  Rolls,  Bromburgh,  Brumburgh,  Bromborch,  quoted  by  Ormerod, 
History  of  Cheshire,  II,  428  and  also  767. 

»  A  note  by  Ainsworth  in  Bentley's  Miscellany,  XLV  (1859),  9,  says  Knolles  was  buried 
at  Grey  Friars  Church  in  London,  August  18,  1407. 
<  Op.  cit.,  II.  285-86. 
B  Cf.  ed.  S.  Luce.  IV.  69-70. 

525 


16  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

says  that  his  death  was  due  to  a  fall  from  his  horse.    Further,  cf. 
De  Courcy,  op.  dt,  p.  65. 

5,  Plesanton;  6,  Ridele;  7,  Helecoq;  8,  Repefort,  are  all  mentioned 
by  all  the  historians  but  we  have  no  other  mention  of  them  save  in 
the  Baiaille.  Plesanton,  from  his  title,  appears  to  have  been  a  man 
of  rank. 

9.  Taillart  (D,  Renequin  Relcart),  called  Jannequin  Taillart  by  all 
the  chroniclers,  is  said  to  have  been  identical  with  Jannequin  Toign^^ 
who  captured  Du  Guesclin  and  put  him  to  ransom  as  related  by 
D'Argentr^.^  I  am  unable  to  see  De  Courcy's  reasons  for  this 
assumption. 

10.  Richard  de  la  Lande,  dit  Le  Fier,  occurs  in  montres  of  Olivier 
de  Clisson,  received  at  Vannes  in  1375  and  following  years. 

11.  Belifort  {Billefort,  D'Argentr^)  is  identified  by  De  Courcy  with 
a  Thomelin  Henefort,  who  is  found  in  1381  at  the  siege  of  Nantes 
with  Calverly  and  Knolles.  As  both  MSS  and  the  historians  agree 
on  the  name,  De  Courcy  is  probably  wrong.  There  is  no  other  men- 
tion of  Belifort. 

12.  Clamaban  or  Clomean  {Clervabariy  D'Argentr^)  is  known  only 
by  the  poem. 

13.  Herouart  (D,  Helcart;  Lobineau,  Henouart)  may  be  the 
H^rouart,  squire  named  in  a  montre  of  Eustache  de  Mauny,  in 
1371  (De  Courcy).     The  name  may  be  Hereward(?). 

14.  Hulhure,  Huehnie  {HuUnte,  D'Argentr^)  according  to  the 
poem,  was  a  soldier  of  low  degree  but  of  great  strength;  he  is  not 
mentioned  again. 

15.  Betonchamp  or  Begurcamp  (called  Gamehoup  by  D'Argentr^ 
and  Lobineau;  Guennechoup  by  Dom  Morice;  Guenehoup  by  Chron. 
de  St.  Paul)  is  also  known  only  from  the  Baiaille. 

16.  Gaule  VAlemant,  as  his  name  shows,  was  one  of  the  six 
Germans  in  the  Baiaille.  Croquart  is  the  only  other  one  who  can 
be  identified  as  German. 

17.  Jeannequin  or  Renequin  Mareschal;  18.  Thomelin  Houlnanton 
or  Houalton  {Huleton,  D'Argentre)  ;3  19.  Rdbinet  Melipart,  together 

»  De  Courcy,  p.  65. 

«  D'Argentr6,  op.  cit..  Book  V,  chap,  xxviii. 

»  The  name  may  be  Walton ( ?). 

526 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  17 

with  16,  are  mentioned  by  both  MSS  and  all  the  chroniclers  but  are 
not  known  to  occur  elsewhere. 

20.  Helichon  (or  Harclou)  le  Musart  is  named  only  in  the  poem; 
none  of  the  chroniclers  mention  him. 

21.  Isinnay,  Isanay  {Yfray  or  Isannay,  D'Argentr^)  in  1363  took 
part  in  the  attempt  to  relieve  Becherel,  besieged  by  Charles  de  Blois . 

22.  Bicquillay  is  mentioned  by  D  alone. 

23.  Troussel  (Roussel,  Dom  Morice)  is  connected  by  De  Courcy 
with  a  Guillaume  Troussel  who  fought  against  Du  Guesclin  at  Rennes 
in  1356.  D'Argentr^  (op.  cit,  Book  X,  chap,  xxxv)  records  the 
incident  but  says  nothing  of  any  relationship. 

24.  Robin  Ades  (the  Nadres  of  D  is  probably  an  error)  imder  the 
leadership  of  Knolles  captured  Du  Guesclin  at  the  bridge  of  Evran 
in  1352.2 

25.  Huelton  le  Contart  (B.  Dango  le  Couart)  is  a  personage  about 
whose  real  name  there  is  some  question.  The  Chroniqae  de  St.  Paul 
calls  him  Andele  and  by  De  Courcy  (p.  68)  he  is  identified  with  a 
James  d' Andele  who  is  found  with  Knolles  in  the  army  of  the  Duke 
of  Lancaster  at  the  siege  of  Rennes  in  1356.'  This  is  a  good  example 
of  the  way  the  scribes  confused  the  names. 

26.  Dagorne  was  a  nephew  of  Thomas  Daggeworth  whose  murder 
led  up  to  the  battle.  His  name  was  Nicolas^  and  he  is  omitted  by 
D'Argentr^.  His  name  occurs  in  the  Chroniqae  des  Quatre  Premiers 
Valois.^ 

27.  Perrot  de  Commellan  (Camaleon  or  Commelan,  D'Argentrd; 
Comenan,  La  Borderie)  was  of  a  Breton  family  of  which  other  mem- 
bers are  cited  by  De  Courcy  (p.  69). 

28.  Guillemin  le  Gaillart  (Hamon,  D;  Jean,  D'Argentr^;  le 
Caillart,  Dom  Morice  and  Chron.  de  St.  Paul)  was  of  a  family  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  the  fourteenth  century.^ 

29.  Raoulet  d'Aspremont  (Du  Primant,  D;  Raoullet  Prevost, 
D'Argentr^)   is  recorded  as  having  married  in  1351  and  having 

1  Cf.  De  Courcy,  op.  cit.,  p.  67. 
«  Op.  cit.,  Book  V,  chap,  xxvili. 
»  Cf.  Lobineau,  op.  cit.,  p.  315. 

*  Cf.  La  Borderie,  op.  cit.,  Ill,  518,  n.  5. 
6  Op.  cit.,  p.  49. 

•  Cf.  De  Courcy,  p.  70. 

527 


18  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

acquired  the  right  of  burial  in  the  abbey  of  Redon  where,  in  1364, 
with  his  consort  he  founded  the  chaplaincy  of  La  Perche.^ 

30.  D^ArdainCf  who  was  killed  at  the  end  of  the  combat,  belonged 
to  a  family  holding  the  barony  of  Foug^res  (Ille-et-Vilaine).  The 
name  first  appears  in  1150  (cf.  De  Courcy,  p.  71). 

Of  the  English  contestants  D'Argentr^  enumerates  but  26, 
Lobineau  28,^  Dom  Morice  28,  and  the  Chronique  de  St,  Paul  but  25. 
However,  D'Argentr^  includes  in  the  list: 

1.  Hervi  de  Lexualen,  who  is  also  cited  by  Lobineau  and  Dom 
Morice  though  the  name  does  not  occur  in  either  MS. 

2.  Valentin,  also  cited  by  Christine  de  Pizan  under  the  name  of 
Vuin  (Gwynn?).^    He  is  mentioned  by  all  the  chroniclers. 

MS  B  speaks  of  the  four  Bretons  as  Brehenchons;  possibly  a 
Picard  scribe  was  more  inclined  to  consider  Brabanters  fighting  for 
the  English  than  Bretons.  Certainly  Flanders  and  England  were  in 
close  relations,  with  a  Flemish  princess,  Philippa,  as  English  queen. 

III.      THE  MANUSCRIPTS 

Two  manuscripts  of  the  poem  are  known  to  exist : 

I.  (D),  Biblioth^que  Nationale,  No.  4165,  Nouv.  Acq.  Fr.,  called 

Didot  as  it  belonged  to  the  library  of  Firmin  Didot  and  was  sold  to 

the  Biblioth^que  Nationale  in  1878,*  being  No.  35  of  the  list  of  the 

sale.     The  following  portion  of  the  description  is  taken  from  Delisle:^ 

Petit  volume  sur  parchemin  de  8  feuillets,  230  min./156  mm.  Ecriture 
du  XV®  si^cle.    Miniature  en  t^te.    Reli6  par  Cap6  en  maroquin  rouge. 

The  miniature  to  which  Delisle  refers  occupies  about  a  third  of 
1'  and  represents  the  knights  standing  in  readiness  for  combat;  unlike 
the  miniature  reproduced  by  De  Courcy,  the  battle  is  not  being 
fought  and  the  detail  is  very  scant.  The  MS  contains  33  lines  to 
the  page  and  is  in  very  good  condition.  The  scribe  made  compara- 
tively few  errors  in  copying,  for  it  is  a  copy  as  shown  by  the  nature 

»  Cf.  also  De  Courcy,  p.  70. 

»  Lobineau  adds,  "On  ignore  les  noms  de  trois  autres." 

»  "En  eel  an  dessus  dit  (1372)  arriva  en  France  Yvain  de  Galles  .  .  .  .  et  avec  luy 
un  sien  parent  et  compaignon  moult  vaillant  ecuyer,  qui  jadls  avoit  est6  de  la  Bataille  des 
Trente,  du  cSt€  des  Anglois,  appelS  Jehan  de  Vuin,  dit  le  poursuivant  d'amours,  avecques 
autres  Gallois,  etc." — Le  Livre  des  Fails  et  des  bonnes  moeurs  du  Sage  Roi  Charles  V, 
compose  en  1403  par  Christine  de  Pizan,  ed.  1743,  II,  chap.  xxvi. 

*  Cf.  Ro.  VII,  479. 

'  Cf.  L.  Delisle,  Milangea  de  paUographie,  Paris,  1880,  pp.  163-64 

528 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  19 

of  the  gaps  in  the  text.  In  one  instance,  we  have  a  gap  of  an  entire 
page.i  The  abbreviations  are  not  numerous:  mm  is  regularly 
represented  by  m;  the  omission  of  n  is  usually  indicated  by  (-)  over 
the  preceding  vowel  (e.g.,  souvat,  12)  although  in  some  cases  the  n  is 
written  and  the  vowel  is  represented  by  n{hn,  14),  or  by  n(gnt,  37). 
Other  occasional  abbreviations  are,  chun—chascun;  cend^=cendre; 
d'onne^  =d'onneur;  mess.—messire;  q  =  que;  le'=leurs;  vo^  =vous; 
^  =  qui;  cfial=cheval;  nre=nostre;  Jhucnst=Jhesuscrist;  Guitte  = 
Guillaume;  jusqz=jusquez;  Bretaig^=Bretaigne;  pnt  =  present;  vre  = 
vostre;  yet  these  abbreviations  are  by  no  means  consistently  used. 
Numerals  are  generally  written  out;  where  they  are  not,  I  have 
substituted  the  words  in  the  text  and  indicated  the  variants;  u 
within  the  word  is  regularly  used  for  v,  with  which  I  have  replaced 
it  in  the  transcription.  In  some  cases  it  is  hard  to  distinguish 
between  the  copyist's  u  and  n.    The  MS  contains  499  lines. 

II.  (B),  Biblioth^que  Nationale,  No.  1555,  called  Bigot  from 
having  belonged  to  a  Picard  scholar.  Bigot,  in  the  seventeenth 
century .2  It  occupies  ff.  50v.-58v.  The  following  is  from  the 
Crapelet  edition  of  1827: 

Ce  ms.  forme  un  volume  petit  in  4°,  sur  v^lin,  fatigu^,  sali,  dechir6  et 
raccommod^  en  plusieurs  endroits.  II  est  d'une  Venture  ronde,  peu  r^gulidre, 
du  commencement  du  XV«  si^cle.  II  contient  225  feuillets  numerot^s  en 
chiffres  arabes,  d'une  main  moderne.  Apr^s  trois  feuillets  d'une  Venture 
cursive  gothique,  qui  servent  de  garde,  on  lit  au  bas  de  la  premiere  page  du 
texte: 

Ms  de  Mrs.  Bigot,  328 

R.  7595 

2. 

On  trouve  des  reclames  ^  la  fin  de  chaque  cahier,  et  chacun  de  ces  cahiers 
se  compose  d'un  nombre  in^gal  des  feuillets.  Le  volume  a  6U  rogn4,  et 
plusieurs  lettres  du  haut  des  pages  ont  6t6  atteintes.  Un  certain  nombre 
de  feuillets  qui  conservent  des  traces  d'^criture  ont  ^t^  gratt^s  pour  ^tre 
employes  dans  le  volume,  dont  les  deux  derniers  feuillets  sent  blancs.  On 
lit  sur  le  verso  du  dernier,  vers  le  milieu  de  la  page,  ces  mots  en  ^criture 
gothique: 

"Ce  livre  appartient  d  Symon  Pierres,  conseiller  en  court  lay,  demourant  d 
Vernon  sur  Seine.'' 

1  Laisse  XXXV  and  part  of  Laisse  XXXIV  of  B  are  lacking  in  D. 

2  La  Borderie,  Histoire  de  Bretagne,  Rennes,  1906,  III,  510,  n.  1. 

529 


20  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

Trois  autre  feuillets,  qui  ont  6t6  gratt^s,  terminent  le  volume  et  laissent 
^galement  apercevoir  plusieurs  lignes  d'6criture. 

Crapelet,  pp.  2  ff.,  gives  a  full  description  of  the  27  different  works 
contained  in  the  MS,  of  which  a  few  only  need  be  mentioned.  I  refer 
to  them  by  the  order  of  occurrence. 

3.  La  Bataille  de  XXX  Englois  et  de  XXX  Bretons  quifufaite  en  Bretaigne, 

etc.    Ff.  5()v.-58v. 
10,  11,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  22— The  Lives  of  various  saints. 
12.  Ave  Maria,  glossed. 

20.  Cy  commence  le  livre  de  la  passion  Nostre  Segneur  Jhesucrist. 

21.  Cy  commence  la  vanganche  Notre  Segneur  Jhesucrist. 

23.  La  cau^e  pourquoy  (no)  on  doit  amer  et  visiter  le  saint  lieu  de  Fescamp  et 
denotement  entendre  Vhistoire  du  precieu^  sane. 

24.  Four  miracles  about  the  vial  of  blood  at  Fecamp. 

25.  Piece,  without  title,  upon  a  comet.^ 

The  large  number  of  religious  works  and  the  space  given  to  the 
miracles  indicate  that  the  scribe  was  possibly  a  monk  at  Fecamp,  or, 
that  it  was  written  in  that  town. 

As  has  been  noted  by  La  Borderie  and  others,  B  is  much  mferior  to 
D  in  execution.  In  B  the  letters  are  not  so  plain,  and  there  are  many 
omissions  of  single  words  through  carelessness.  Twice  an  omitted 
line  is  put  at  the  bottom  of  the  page;^  in  various  instances  the  scribe 
does  not  take  the  trouble  to  erase  a  miswritten  word  but  draws  a 
line  through  it  and  adds  the  correction.  His  treatment  of  the  names 
has  already  been  mentioned.^  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that, 
like  D,  B  is  also  a  copy  of  an  earlier  form;  as  it  stands,  it  contains 
519  lines.  The  scribe  of  B  does  not  use  so  many  abbreviations  as 
we  find  in  D — m  and  n  frequently  stand  for  the  doubled  consonant; 
chlrs  is  not  uncommon  for  chevaliers;  mess,  for  messire;  vo^  =vous; 
GuilVe=Guillaume;  a  vowel  with  (-)  for  vowel +^  (e.g.,  ericofener); 
ff  for  livres  (155) ;  n(f  =nous  are  the  commonest  abbreviations  found, 
but  words  are  generally  written  out  in  full.  V  within  a  word  is  written 
as  u  which  I  have  altered  to  v  in  the  transcription,  as  in  the  case  of  D. 

The  most  casual  inspection  of  the  two  MSS  shows  that  they  are 
themselves  copies.    The  number  of  lines  which  are  literal  parallels 

1  This  composition  speaks  of  a  comet  which  appeared  in  1402  and  consequently  the 
MS  is  posterior  to  that  date. 
»  E.g..  U.  221  and  324. 
»  Cf.  Introduction,  II,  "The  Combatants." 

530 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  21 

is  surprisingly  small,  and  even  when  we  add  the  lines  that  vary  but 
so  slightly  that  the  variations  may  be  ascribed  to  a  copyist,  we  still 
come  far  short  of  the  total  number.  As  for  the  rest,  there  is  some- 
times a  complete  variant  or  else  the  words  are  materially  altered. 
A  striking  illustration  of  this  is  the  substitution  of  the  arms  of 
Agappart  (B159-160)  for  those  of  jadis  roy  Edouart  (D199).  While 
there  are  some  passages  in  which  B  is  the  clearer  in  sense,  in  general 
D  offers  the  fewest  difficulties  and  requires  less  emendation;  con- 
sequently, it  may  be  considered  as  representing  more  nearly  the 
original  form.  A  combination  of  D  with  the  lines  supplied  by  B 
would  result  in  a  poem  of  575  lines.  The  last  of  B,  XXXIV,  all  of 
B,  XXXV,  B,  XXVII,  and  B,  11.  431-40  have  undoubtedly  been 
omitted  from  D.  If  we  add  them  we  get  550  lines,  which  is  probably 
not  far  from  the  original  form.  It  is  very  likely  that  B  contains  some 
interpolated  lines,  as  indicated  in  the  notes. 

IV.      EDITIONS 

The  poem  has  been  published  in  its  entirety  five  times,  in  each 
case  from  the  Bigot  MS  alone;  D  seems  to  have  been  entirely 
unknown  to  the  early  editors.     The  following  are  the  editions. 

I.  Le  Chevalier  de  FRfiMiNviLLE.^ 

"  La  Bataille  des  Trente,  Brest,  1819  (Lefournier  at  Deperiers),  in  8°,  39 
pp.  Po^me  du  XIV®  siecle  transcrit  sur  le  MS  originale,  conserve  k  la 
biblioth^que  du  roi  et  accompagn^  de  notes  historiques." 

The  history  of  the  Freminville  edition  is  given  by  Crapelet  in  the 
Avertissement  of  his  1827  edition  of  the  Bataille,  q.v. 

En  1813,  M.  le  Chevalier  de  Freminville,  en  s'occupant  avec  M.  de 
Penhouet,  ancien  officier  de  la  marine  royale,  de  recherches  historiques  sur 
les  antiquit^s  de  la  Bretagne,  decouvrit  k  Paris,  dans  un  recueil  de  pieces 
manuscrits  de  la  Bibliotheque  du  Roi,  le  r^cit  en  vers  du  Combat  des  Trente. 

Continuing,  Crapelet  recognizes  the  service  done  by  Freminville 
but  severely  criticizes  the  inaccuracy  of  his  transcription,  saying 
that  it  offers  so  many  differences  from  the  MS : 

1 1  have  not  been  able  to  consult  the  Frgminville  edition,  not  being  able  to  find  it  in 
America.  However,  the  work  was  used  by  Crapelet,  De  Courcy,  and  others.  By  them  it 
is  considered  inaccurate  and,  as  it  contains  scarcely  more  than  the  text,  it  can  hardly  be 
considered  a  valuable  or  an  accurate  work. 

531 


22  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

que  j'ai  dout^  un  instant  s'il  ne  se  trouvait  pas  deux  manuscrits  ....  ^  la 
Biblioth^que  du  Roi,  ce  qui  n'existe  pas  en  effet. 

He  notes, 

comment  nombre  des  mots  ont  €t4  changes  et  remplac^s  par  d'autres, 
dont  I'editeur  donne  m^me  Tinterpretation;  comment  plusieurs  vers  ont  4t6 
omis,  d'autres  transposes;  enfin  comment  il  se  trouvent  cinq  cent  dix  neuf  vers 
dans  le  manuscrit  original  et  seidement  cinq  cent  un  dans  VHition  de  M.  de 
Friminville. 

From  Crapelet's  account  one  might  suspect  that  this  edition  was 
taken  from  another  MS  now  lost.  He,  however,  seems  to  be  satis- 
fied that  it  was  based  on  the  Bigot  MS,  and  that  the  inaccuracies 
are  due  to  recopying  and  printing. 

n.    J.  A.  BUCHON. 

Collection  des  Chroniques  Nationales  Frangaises,  Vol.  XIV,  Paris, 
1826,  pp.  301-20.  In  a  note  Buchon  acknowledges  having  received 
a  copy  of  the  MS  from  ''M.  M^on,^  employ^  aux  Manuscrits  de  la 
Bibliotheque  du  Roi."  Buchon^s  text  is  a  close  reproduction  of  B 
with  all  the  errors  as  they  stand. 

III.  G.  A.  Crapelet. 

Le  Combat  de  T rente  Bretons  contre  Trente  Anglais,  public  d'apr^s  le 
manuscrit  de  la  Bibliotheque  du  Roi,  Paris,  1827.  (Imprimerie  de 
Crapelet.) 

This  is  an  octavo  volume.  No.  Ill  of  the  Collection  des  andens 
monuments  de  Vhistoire  et  de  la  langue  frangaise,  according  to  the  title- 
page,  "Imprim^  sous  les  auspices  de  M^'-  Le  Comte  de  Corbiere 
ministre  et  secretaire  d'!l6tat  au  D^partement  de  rint^rieur."  It 
contains  vii+110  pp.  with  frontispiece  described  as  "  Le  monument  de 
la  Bataille  des  Trente,  eiev^  dans  la  Lande  de  Mi-voie  en  1819."  At 
the  end  of  the  volume  are  six  plates  giving  the  armorial  bearings,  31 
in  number,  of  the  Bretons.^  There  is  also  a  list  of  the  English 
participants,  7  chevaliers,  9  ^cuyers,  and  15  gendarmes;  and  a 
table  of  contents.  After  the  introduction  Crapelet  reproduces  ff. 
50'-51'"  of  B,  followed  by  the  description.  The  text  occupies  pp. 
13-35;  the  translation  into  modern  French  with  notes,  pp.  37-58; 
Froissart's  account,  pp.  59-68;    a  long  account  of  the  monument 

»  Cf .  Crapelet,  ed.  1827,  avertissement. 
*  Both  Nos,  25  and  26  are  those  of  Tr6z6guidy. 

532 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  23 

raised  July  11,  1819.  This  last  recounts  the  speeches  and  the  names 
of  the  principal  participators  and  spectators.  Crapelet  evidently- 
had  no  intention  of  omitting  anybody  who  had  a  pretense  to  impor- 
tance. As  to  the  text,  it  is  practically  identical  with  the  Buchon 
text,  save  that,  while  Buchon  solves  the  MS  abbreviations,  and 
changes  u  to  v,  Crapelet  aims  at  exact  reproduction. 

IV.  G.  A.  Crapelet,  Paris,  1837,  chez  Jules  R6nouard. 

The  second  edition  has  the  same  pagination  as  the  first  edition 
(of  1827)  and  is  a  reproduction  of  it,  apparently  from  the  same  plates. 
In  the  1837  edition  the  rubrics  are  poorly  marked  and,  through  an 
error,  the  six  plates  with  the  armorial  bearings  are  interposed  between 
pages  96  and  97  instead  of  coming  at  the  end  after  page  110.  Save 
for  this  and  the  difference  in  publishers,  they  are  the  same. 

V.  Pitre-Chevalier. 

In  La  Bretagne  Ancienne  et  Moderne,  Paris  (no  date),^  in-folio, 
pp.  365-85.  Pp.  371-85  contain  the  text,  with  some  notes.  After 
criticizing  the  edition  of  Fr^minville  as  "assez  incorrecte"  and  that 
of  Crapelet  as  ''plus  brillante  que  rigoureuse,"^  Pitre-Chevalier  says, 

Nous  imprimons  ici  Texcellente  copie  faite  par  M.  M^on  lui-m^me  pour 

M.  Buchon C'est  le  fac-simile  parfait  de  I'original,  avec  toutes  les 

naivetes  de  son  style,  etc. 

This  edition  adds  practically  nothing  to  our  knowledge  of  the 
subject. 

Partial  Reproductions 

I.  K.  Bartsch,  Chrestomathie  de  Vancien  frangais,  X®  ed.,  Leipzig,  1910. 
This  is  based  mainly  on  the  edition  of  Crapelet  which  is  collated 

with  D  from  a  copy  made  by  M.  Apfelstedt  for  K.  Bartsch.  It  is  a 
text  reconstructed  from  both  D  and  B  and  comprises  186  lines,  repre- 
senting D  to  1.  186  and  B  to  1.  145.  A  number  of  emendations  are 
made,  usually  good,  but  occasionally  without  seeming  justification. 

II.  Pol  de  Courcy,  Le  Combat  de  Trente  Bretons  contre  Trente  Anglais,  St. 
Pol  de  L^on,  1857,  in  4°,  title,  78  pp. +2  plates  with  armorial  bearings. 

The  frontispiece  is  a  picture  of  the  battle,  taken  from  the 
original  miniature  of  Pierre  le  Baud,  reproduced  in  color.  It  repre- 
sents the  sky  and  sea  in  the  background  (an  error,  as  the  sea  is  a 

1  The  signature  to  the  preface  indicates  the  date  as  1844.  2  Op.  cit..  p.  370. 

533 


24  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

considerable  distance  from  the  scene  of  the  fight).  Two  castles  are 
to  be  seen  on  the  shore,  on  opposites  sides  of  the  picture;  nearer,  and 
in  the  center,  is  the  **Ch6ne  de  Mi-Voie."  In  the  foreground  are  the 
knights,  engaged  in  combat,  their  figures  well  distinguished.  Part 
of  the  combatants  on  both  sides  are  clad  in  silver-colored  armor 
and  part  in  gold.  The  Bretons  are  marked  by  black  crosses  on  a 
white  background  on  their  breasts  and  their  opponents  by  red 
crosses  on  a  white  background.  Beaumanoir  with  his  coat  of  arms 
(d'azur  avec  onze  billets  d'argent)  is  seen  to  the  left,  urging  on  his 
men,  and  is  the  only  knight  to  be  identified.  After  a  historical 
sketch  of  the  locality  and  his  visit  to  it  (pp.  1-3),  the  author  proceeds 
to  an  account  of  the  battle  and  events  preceding  (pp.  4-14),  a  note 
on  the  monuments  erected  (pp.  15-19),  an  extract  from  the  Chronique 
de  Jean  de  St.  Paul  (pp.  19-26).  Then  follows  the  really  important 
part  of  the  work  (pp.  27-72),  the  biographies  and  genealogies  of  the 
Breton  knights  and  of  some  of  the  English  party.  The  author's 
sources  are  various  chroniclers,  the  Benedictines  Dom  Morice,  Dom 
Lobineau,  and  D'Argentr^  and  various  documents  dating  from  the 
period.  It  contains  a  large  proportion  of  the  information  obtainable 
on  the  subject,  in  many  cases  conclusive,  although  the  author 
evidently  is  striving  for  a  glorification  of  the  Breton  nobility  and  seeks 
to  connect  the  heroes  of  the  Bataille  with  contemporary  families 
whenever  he  can  do  so.  In  the  course  of  his  work  De  Courcy  quotes 
127  lines  of  the  poem,  either  from  B  itself,  or  from  one  of  the  editions 
of  it.  His  reproduction  consists  merely  of  a  line  or  two  at  a  time, 
modernized  freely. 

III.    A.  DE  LA  BoRDERiE,  Histoive  de  Bretagne,  Rennes,  1906,  III,  pp.  510-29. 
Quotes  in  all  44  lines  of  the  poem,  partly  from  the  Crapelet  text, 
partly  from  the  Didot  MS  which  he  mentions.^ 

V.      LANGUAGE  AND   VERSIFICATION 

I.  The  poem  in  D  and  B  consists  of  499  and  519  Alexandrine  lines 
respectively,  divided  into  monorimed  laisses  of  very  unequal  length. 
The  longest  laisse  of  D  is  IV  (44  lines  in  e)  and  of  B  is  IV  (43  lines 

1  There  Is  also  a  translation  into  English  verse  by  W.  H.  Ainsworth  in  BentUy't 
Miscellany,  XLV  (1859),  5  fl.  and  445  ff.,  entitled  The  Combat  of  the  Thirty.  It  is  a  trans- 
lation of  one  of  the  editions  of  B  and  is  accompanied  by  some  biographical  notes. 

534 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  25 

in  e);   the  shortest  is  the  assonanced  laisse  in  on — e  (D,  XIV;  B, 
XIII),  which  contains  only  4  lines  in  both  MSS. 

The  rimes  are  but  22  in  number  and  as  some  of  these  are  but  slight 
variations  the  list  might  be  reduced  still  further.  The  list  of  rimes, 
arranged  alphabetically,  is  as  follows: 

1)  -a  (D,  XXXII,  17;  B,  XXXII,  19). 

2)  -aige,  -age  (D,  XVIII,  13;  XXIV,  9;  B,  XVII,  13;  XXIII,  8). 

3)  Assonanced  -an— e  (D,  VIII,  10;  XIII,  8;  B,  VII,  9;  XII,  7). 
This  assonance  presents  no  mixture  of  an — en  for,  although  we 
have  alienee  (D,  180)  and  pestilence  (B,  140),  we  also  have  aliance 
(D,  133)  and  pestilance  (D,  182). 

4)  -ant  (D,  XXXI,  23;  B,  XXXI,  25).   Free  from  mixture  with  -en. 

5)  -art  (D,  XV,  27;  B,  XIV,  29). 

6)  -e  (D,  III,  44;  XIX,  8;  B,  III,  43;  XVIII,  8).  This  rime  in- 
cludes the  form  e  for  ui  <  hddie  (B,  210;  D,  249).  This  develop- 
ment of  g-\-i  is  a  dialectical  feature  of  certain  districts  in  the  west. 
Latin  MODIA  appears  as  mee  in  place  names  in  depts.  Eure-et- 
Loir,  Mayenne,  Manche,  Sarthe,  lUe-et-Vilaine  (cf.  Ostberg, 
Les  voyelles  velaires  accentuees,  1899,  p.  88),  instead  of  Muids 
which  is  the  form  outside  this  district.  Cf.  also,  pee  for  puis, 
pi6e  for  pluie,  net  for  nuitj  etc.  (Goerlich,  Die  nordwestlichen 
Dialekte  der  Langue  d^o'il,  in  Rom.  Studien,  V,  pp.  50-51).  See 
also  Atlas  linguistique,  map  72  (aujourd'hui),  s.e.  Morbihan. 
The  rimes  in  -e  are  also  mixed  with  -ie  (1  syl.),  e.g.,  devii  (B,  21; 
D,  21),  pitie  (B,  24;  D,  23;  B,  38;  D,  37),  pechiS  (B,  45;  D, 
44),  pie  (B,  63;  D,  64),  etc. 

7)  -ee  (D,  XXIII,  18;  VI,  9;  B,  XXII,  19;  VII,  8). 

8)  -el  (D,  XXXIII,  14;  B,  XXXIII,  22). 

9)  Assonanced  -en — e  (D,  II,  8;  B,  II,  8).  Free  from  mixture 
with  -an. 

10)  -ent  (D,  IV,  8;  B,  IV,  9).  Contains  a  trace  of  mixture  with  -an 
(D,  72  avant;  B,  71  avant,  B,  72  fiant) — of  these  B,  72  may  be 
an  interpolation  (cf.  note  to  text). 

11)  -er  (D,  V,  34;  XI,  14;  B,  XXXV,  24;  X,  14).  Contains  some 
mixture  of  -ier  (1  syl.)  with  -er  (cf.  pautonnier,  D,  95,  etc.). 

12)  -es  (-ez)  (D,  XXXIV,  25;  XXX,  21;  B,  XXXIV,  36;  XXX, 
20). 

535 


26  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

13)  -ie  (D,  XXVII,  28;  XXV,  17;  XXXV,  11;  B,  XXVIII,  27; 
XXIV,  21;  XXXVI,  10).  This  rime  contains  no  trace  of 
reduction  of  -i#e  to  -ie,  save  aillie  (B,  281;  B332;  D357)  which 
is  probably  a  common  expression  from  the  Francian.  (Cf .  note 
to  D275.) 

14)  -iers  (D,  IX,  7;  B,  VIII,  7).     In  all  cases  without  diaeresis. 

15)  -is  (D,  XX,  11;  XXII,  7;  B,  XIX,  11;  XXI,  8). 

16)  -oint  (D,  V,  8;  B,  VI,  5).  For  feroint,  etc.,  cf.  Versification, 
11,3. 

17)  -on  (D,  X,  12;  B,  IX,  11;  XXVII,  7). 

18)  -ons  (D,  I,  13;  XVI,  11;  B,  I,  13;  XV,  11). 

19)  Assonance  in  -on— e  (D,  XIV,  4;   B,  XIII,  4). 

20)  -ort  (D,  XXVI,  10;  B,  XXV,  11). 

21)  -u  (D,  XXIX,  19;  XXVII,  15;  XVII,  6;  XXI,  5;  B,  XXIX, 
19;  XXVI,  15;  XVI,  6;  XX,  6).  In  the  list  of  these  rimes 
occurs  several  times  the  form  lu  for  luy  (B,  310,  348,  355;  D, 
340,  373,  378,  etc.).  This  form  is  not  Picard  (although  it  is 
found  in  eastern  France — cf.  Rydberg,  in  Baustdm  d.  rom.  Phil., 
Festgahe  Mussafia,  Halle,  1905,  p.  370),  nor  is  it  quoted  by 
Goerlich,  but  it  is  found  in  Anglo-Norman  (cf.  Suchier,  Les 
Voyelles  Toniques,  Sec.  24,  4,  h) ;  it  is  used  by  Frdre  Angier  (cf . 
Cloran,  Dialogues  of  Gregory  the  Great,  translated  into  Anglo- 
Norman  French  by  Frere  Angier,  Strassburg,  1901,  p.  57).  M.  K. 
Pope  (cf.  Study  of  the  Language  of  Frere  Angier,  Paris,  1903) 
advances  the  theory  that  Angier  wrote  in  the  dialect  of  Anjou 
(cf.  the  review  of  by  A.  Thomas,  Romania,  XXXIII).  This 
would  accord  well  with  the  other  dialect  features  of  the  Bataille. 
The  form  occurs  in  the  patois  of  Maine  as  late  as  the  seven- 
teenth century,  e.g.,  "o  lu  Ten  ne  fait,"  Dialogue  de  Trois  vi- 
gnerons  du  Pais  du  Maine  sur  les  mishres  de  ce  temps,  Jean  Lousnor 
(2d  ed.  Rouen,  1630,  pp.  22  and  37). 

22)  -y(-i)  (D,  XII,  8;  B,  XI,  8).  This  laisse  rimes  ly  (pron.)  with 
mercy;  etc. 

There  occur  no  rimes  in  -ou  and  -eu  or  in  -oi  and  -ei,  so  that  it  is 
impossible  to  consider  the  author's  usage  under  these  two  heads.  In 
both  MSS  eu  occurs  regularly  in  the  tonic  syllable,  as  in  Francian; 
ou  is,  however,  found  in  seignours  (Dl),  executour  (D53),  flour  (D305, 

536 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  27 

D312),  paour  (D331),  goule  (D396),  chalour  (D439).  Ei  for  oi 
(regular  in  the  Livre  des  Manieres)  does  not  occur  in  the  Bataille. 
Records  of  the  thirteenth  century  (cf.  Schwan-Behrens,  Afz.  Gram., 
8th  ed.,  pp.  285-87)  give  frequent  examples,  but  Reis  in  his  work  on 
Guillaume  de  St.  Andr^  {Die  Sprache  im  Lihvre  du  hon  Jehan,  due  de 
Bretagne,  Erlangen,  1903,  pp.  23-24)  finds  no  traces  of  it  in  this 
composition  of  the  late  fourteenth  century.  The  form  vroy  for  vray 
also  occurs. 

II.  The  number  of  syllables — 

1)  8  between  consonants  regularly  has  metrical  value  save  in  the 
following  csLses—messire  (B36,  108,  110,  146,  150,  293,  356,  391; 
D35,  187,  191,  379);  sire  (D149?).  Messire  is  3  syl.,  D417;  sire  is 
2  syl.,  B236,  247;  D284,  327;  eglis{e)  chanta,  D437;  michie)  ne, 
B437;  royaulm{e)  de,  D132. 

2)  Enclisis.    There  are  no  cases  in  the  Bataille. 

3)  8  following  the  tonic  vowel  and  in  hiatus  with  it  frequently 
occurs : 

(A)  Where  followed  by  a  vowel — mye  achive,  D52;  espee  et,  B447; 
journee  est  (!)  B480. 

(B)  Where  consonant  follows — prye,  D19;  prie,  D494;  envoye, 
D185;  espies  et,  D219;  Montjoie,  B480. 

(C)  Has  no  metrical  value  when  followed  by  consonant — journee 
sera,  B396;  My{e)-voy{e) ,  D451;  dient,  B394. 

(D)  The  -ent  of  pres.  6,  ind.  and  subj.  regularly  has  metrical  value 
save  in  aient  (ayent),  B52,  D51,  D496;  soient,  B516,  517;  soint,  D497. 

(E)  The  -ent  of  fut.  and  cond.  6  is  always  without  value  and  is 
often  not  written — estoient,  B48;  devoient,  B187,  D226;  faisoint, 
D416;  comhatoient,  B4:15;  vouloyent,T>4iQl;  feroyent,  etc., 'DlOS-112; 
feroient,  B276;  devroient,  B126;  vouldroint,  D112,  etc. 

4)  A  pretonic  8  immediately  following  another  pretonic  vowel 
is  doubly  treated.  It  has  metrical  value  in  poeste,  D59;  escuierie, 
D312;  praerie,  D342;  prayerie,  D489;  pra[e]rie,  B318.  In  the 
future  it  is  regularly  without  metrical  value  and  is  sometimes  not 
written — hayeront,  D240;  haerront,  B201;  envoieray,  B232;  tuerai, 
B359;  mainront,  D334;  amerron,  B216;  merront,  B303;  and  in  the 
conditional,  daigneroient,  B275  (2  syl.).  However  in  envoyere,  D255, 
D270;  remuera,  D289  a  has  metrical  value. 

537 


28  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

5)  An  atonic  d  preceding  a  tonic  vowel  in  hiatus  is  found  both 
with  and  without  metrical  value. 

(A)  With  metrical  value — menestreelx,  B4;  veu^  B301;  6ew,  B316; 
congneu,  B356;  ew,  B490;  Clomean,  D197,  etc. 

(B)  Without  metrical  value — veoir,  D36;  seurs,  B214;  congneUy 
D331;  veu,  B352;  cheu,  B354,  B365;  aconcheu,  B357;  Jehan, 
BllO,  B150,  D191,  etc.  The  iormjeuna,  B418  (2  syl.)  is  also  found. 
A  similar  double  treatment  exists  in  the  lAvre  of  Guill.  de  St.  Andr^ 
(cf.  Reis,  op.  cit,  p.  14). 

6)  Elision  of  9 — 

(A)  Before  h  aspirate  a  is  always  retained  with  metrical  value, 
e.g.,  de  hache,  B90;  de  honte,  B143,  D184;  le  hardy,  B166. 

(B)  The  feminine  form  of  the  possessive  adjective  is  regular  in  the 
Bataille — m* entente, 'B227;  w'amte,  B336,  D361 ;  s'image,  B2Q1;  once, 
mon  entente,  D265. 

(C)  Elision  of  vowel  in  monosyllable. 

(1)  Que  (pronoun  and  conjunction)  is  generally  elided,  but 
examples  of  hiatus  are  also  common,  e.g.,  que  \  on,  B18; 
que\il,  D29;  que\aions,  B92,  D286;  que  \  est,  D371; 
que  I  oublier,  B107;  que  \  une,  D426,  etc. 

(2)  Qui  is  never  elided — qui  est,  D18,  B108,  B109;  qui  aura, 
B71,  D72,  etc. 

(3)  Si{sy)  <  SIC  is  never  elided— B44,  B321,  D43,  D102, 
D128,  etc. 

(4)  Se  <  SI  is  elided— Bll,  B299,  D210,  D242,  etc. 

(5)  The  object  pronouns,  se,  me,  te,  le,  la,  are  always  elided. 

(6)  je  is  usually  elided;  but  also  not— B283,  D270,  D274. 

(7)  ce  is  regularly  elided;  but  occasionally  not — ce  \  auray, 
B236. 

(8)  ne  <  NEC  and  ne  <  NON,  and  de  are  invariably  elided. 

(9)  Li(ly),  nom.  plu.  masc.  is  never  elided. 

7)  Hiatus  is  often  avoided  by  the  elision  of  a  final  a  but  also 
occurs  frequently — 

(A)  After  a  single  consonant,  or  doubled  consonant. 

(1)  With    e —    istoire  \  en,    BD7;     trente  \  Englois,    BD8; 
vueille  \  ayder,  D91;    chose  \  est,  D129;    hache  \  et,  D285; 
cruelle  \  est,  D425,  etc. 
538 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  29 

(2)  With  other  vowels — parlera  \  on,  B93;    verra  \  on,  B70; 
ainsi  \  est,  B431. 
(B)  After  a  mute+liquid — ventre  \  ot,  D97;  vostre  \  estoutie,  B265, 
D412;  chappie  \  orrihle,  B386,  D434;  combatre  \  ensemble,  D116,  etc.; 
but  combatre  ensemble,  D126,  is  to  be  read  with  elision. 

8)  Synaeresis  is  rare  but  occurs  twice — n'y  en,  B215;  n'y  a, 
B447. 

9)  Metrical  value  of  groups.  Diaeresis  is  found  of,  -ie  in  Hen, 
D387  (cf.  Reis,  op,  cit.,  p.  13),  e.g.,  achier,  B155;  liepart,  D206  (but 
not  in  liespart,  B168) ;  regularly  in  words  ending  in  -ion,  e.g.,  religions, 
B3,  D4;  nacions,  B403,  etc.;  -oe-  in  Ploermel,  B32,  D31  (cf.  Pelmel, 
B78) ;  -oua-  in  Houalton,  B165,  Edouart,  B58,  D58,  D199,  D255  (but 
as  one  syl.  in  B216,  B232,  D270);  -cue-  in  jouel,  B439;  -ue-  in 
Huelcoc,  D192,  etc.,  Charruel,  B104,  D144,  etc.  (but  as  1  syl.  in  B257, 
D294).  To  be  noted  also  without  diaeresis  is  -oie-  =  -oi-  in  Beau- 
manoier,  B188,  B192,  B226. 

10)  Epenthesis.    Epenthetic  e  occurs  once — esbateront,  Dll. 

III.  Cesura. — The  author  strongly  favors  masculine  cesura.  Of 
the  499  lines  of  D  no  less  than  334  (67  per  cent)  have  masculine  cesura 
and  165  feminine;  in  B  the  figures  are  353  (68  per  cent)  and  166 
feminine.  The  tendency  to  strengthen  cesura  is  also  shown  by  the 
large  proportion  of  words  of  more  than  one  syllable  upon  which  the 
cesura  falls  (238  masc.  cesuras  in  D  on  such  words  and  250  in  B). 
Moreover,  a  cesura  resting  on  the  tonic  syllable  alone  is  comparatively 
rare  (40  times  in  both  D  and  B).  Such  a  thing  as  a  weakening  of 
the  sixth  syllable  is  unknown  and  thus  the  verse,  like  much  epic 
verse,  presents  an  impression  of  imrelieved  monotony. 

IV.  Rime. — Rich  rimes  are  frequent  in  the  Bataille,  occurring  42 
times  in  both  D  and  B  in  consecutive  lines;  occasionally  leonine  rime 
isfound—D310-12, 443-45, 465-66;  B59-60, 403-4, 412-13,  etc.  The 
rimes  in  the  laisses  are  consistent  with  but  few  exceptions.  Asso- 
nance occurs  only  in  the  laisses  with  a  nasal  followed  by  e;  -age  is 
unmixed  in  B  but  the  -aige  laisses  of  D  have  a  few  cases  of  mixture, 
e.g.,  oultrage,  D232,  viage,  D240,  and  rage,  D300.  This  peculiarity 
of  mge  is  mentioned  by  Reis  {op.  cit.,  p.  34)  who  quotes  Palsgrave's 
reference  to  the  word.  Leroux,  Marche  du  patois  actuel  dans  Vancien 
pays  de  la  Mee,  St.  Brieuc,  1886,  p.  8  (quoted  by  Reis)  affirms  this 

539 


3iO  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

mixture  of  -aige  and  -age.  The  reduction  in  one  case  of  -iee  to  -ie 
and  the  occurrence  of  lu  in  rimes  with  ahatu,  etc.,  have  already  been 
discussed  (1, 13, 1, 21).  Forms  in  -er  occur  rarely  in  -es  laisses,  e.g., 
blechiers,  B378;  pensers,  D476,  D482.  Conversely,  -es  and  -ez  are 
found  in  -er  laisses,  e.g.,  postez,  B490;  tappichiSs,  B502.  Lui 
becomes  ly  and  rimes  with  mercy,  aussy,  etc.,  B134,  D174,  etc.  In 
laisses  in  -es  (ez)  an  ungrammatical  s  is  very  frequently  added,  e.g., 
passes,  B364,  D389;  Veritas,  B367,  D392;  enversSs,  B371,  etc.; 
hlechiez,  B452,  D467;  alosis,  B454  (even  alosers,  D469);  d  son  gris, 
B458.  Sometimes  the  author  changes  a  modifying  pronoun  to  the 
plural  to  agree,  e.g.,  d  ses  grSs,  D471. 

V.  Enjamhement. — Enjambement  occurs  24  times  in  both  D  and 
B,  e.g.,  DB17-18,  D55-56,  B56-57,  D102-3,  D105-6,  D125-26, 
B146-47,  etc.  I  have  included  only  the  most  marked  cases  such  as  a 
noun  followed  by  a  modifying  prepositional  phrase  in  the  next  line. 

VI.  Faulty  verses. — Faulty  verses  occur  rarely  in  D,  11.  192,  200 
(misunderstanding  of  proper  names),  and  possibly  294;  in  B  they 
occur  23  times  in  the  MS— 15a,  866,  115a6,  128&,  142a6,  151a,  151a, 
2156,  2756,  330a,  3536,  365a,  3716,  380a,  387a,  390a,  3996,  411a, 
417a,  4296,  440a,  495a,  497a.  Nearly  all  of  these  are  scribal  errors 
and  corrections  are  either  made  in  the  text  or  indicated  in  the  notes. 
In  the  case  of  142a6  I  have  not  ventured  to  do  more  than  prefer  the 
reading  of  D. 

VII.  The  versions  of  the  poem  vary  considerably  in  the  two  MSS, 
for,  of  the  499  and  519  lines  of  D  and  B,  only  138  are  identical  in  both, 
and  even  if  we  add  to  this  the  188  which  differ  only  in  a  word  or  in 
word  order,  we  have  still  a  third  of  the  lines  which  are  not  parallel; 
some  are  in  laisses  missing  in  the  one  or  the  other  MS;  yet,  even  with 
such  allowance,  the  reconstruction  of  a  text  becomes  a  questionable 
matter  and  for  that  reason  it  has  seemed  preferable  to  print  both 
MSS  as  they  stand. 

VI.      DATE   AND   PLACE   OF   COMPOSITION 

The  Bataille  de  Trente  has  generally  been  assigned  to  the  latter 
half  of  the  fourteenth  century  by  the  various  editors  of  the  text  up 
to  this  time.  Freminville  remarks  that,  "L'oeil  le  moins  exerc^ 
serait  frappe  de  sa  ressemblance  mat^rielle  avec  les  Chroniques  de 

540 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  31 

Saint  Denis,  ann^es  1375-80."^  He  also  notes  that  the  arms  and 
armor  cited  in  the  poem  belong  to  this  period,  "notamment  le 
fauchard  et  le  branc  et  le  branc  d'acier  qui  disparut  au  si^cle  suivant." 
Another  part  of  Fr^minville's  introduction  is  still  more  specific.  He 
says,  "c'est  un  r^cit  en  vers,  ....  compost  dans  le  temps  m^me 
oii  elle  eut  lieu.  Ce  r^cit,  trds  detains,  a  6t6  6cnt  sous  le  regne  de 
Charles  V,  c'est  k  dire  seulement  quelques  ann^es  apres  Taffaire^^ 
(1364-79).  There  is  apparently  no  good  reason  for  doubting 
Fr^minville's  rather  general  surmise  that  the  Bataille  was  at  least  as 
early  as  the  date  indicated.  Although  B  was  certainly  not  copied 
until  after  1402,^  it  says  of  the  combatants  quer  le  plus  sunt  en  cendre 
(B20).  At  the  time  the  poem  was  written  then,  some  of  them  must 
still  have  been  alive.  The  fact  that  D20  reads  car  les  corps  sont  en 
cendre  does  not  prevent  this  assumption.  It  is  evident  from  the 
reference  to  jadis  roy  Edouart  (D199)  that  D  was  copied  after  1377 
but  we  do  not  know  how  much  later.  There  are,  however,  good 
reasons  for  believing  that  the  original  poem  was  written  considerably 
before  1377  and  the  reference  to  the  demise  of  Edward  III  does  not 
stand  in  the  way  of  an  acceptance  of  this  theory  because  this  reference 
does  not  occur  in  B  where  we  find  the  comparison  made  to  the  Agap- 
part  oi"^  he  Cycle  d^ Orange  fame.  It  is  likely  that  D  was  copied  shortly 
after  Edward's  death,  when  that  occurrence  was  still  fresh  in  the 
popular  mind  and  his  name  was  therefore  substituted  by  the  scribe 
for  the  less  familiar  Agappart  (or  it  may  be  that  Agappart  is  a  sub- 
stitution of  the  scribe  of  B).  If  the  theory  be  accepted  that  Jehan 
le  Bel  either  saw  the  poem  or  heard  it  recited,  the  date  is  at  once 
fixed  within  narrow  limits  as  it  is  shown  by  Polain*  that  from  the  time 
of  the  battle  of  Poitiers  (1356)  to  the  end  of  his  chronicle,  which  stops 
abruptly  in  1361,  he  sketched  events  in  diary  style,  while  events  from 
from  1340-1357  are  written  in  a  more  deliberate  manner.  If  he  had 
an  acquaintance  with  the  poem,  the  latter  must  have  been  written 
before  1357  and  this  conclusion  we  are  inclined  to  accept  from  the 
tenor  of  the  poem  itself.  It  is  written  in  the  full  tide  of  partisan 
conflict,  when  the  struggle  between  Blois  and  Montfort  was  far  from 

1  Quoted  by  Pitre-Chevaller,  op.  dt.,  p.  370. 

2  Quoted  by  Daru,  op.  cit.,  p.  112,  note. 

»  Cf.  note  to  Piece  25  in  Bigot  MS  in  Introduction,  III,  ii. 
*  Op.  cit.,  p.  xxxvi. 

541 


32  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

being  decided.  Eastern  Brittany  is  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Blois 
party  and  the  idea  of  its  capture  by  the  English  is  regarded  as  an  idle 
jest;^  Charles  de  Blois  is  apparently  no  longer  a  prisoner  in  England* 
and  his  fortunes  have  not  yet  taken  the  desperate  turn  that  they  did 
after  the  coming  of  the  duke  of  Lancaster  in  1355;*  lastly,  at  the  very 
least,  the  poem  was  written  while  Charles  de  Blois,  who  was  killed 
at  Auray,  in  1364,  was  still  alive.'*  Thus,  disregarding  any  considera- 
tion of  Jehan  le  Bel,  the  poem  was  written  not  later  than  1364  nor 
earlier  than  1353.  It  is  probable  that  it  was  composed  before  1355. 
As  to  the  locality  in  which  the  poem  in  its  original  form  was 
composed,  all  the  evidence  goes  to  show  that  it  was  written  not  very 
far  from  the  scene  of  the  combat.  It  is  intensely  partisan  in  its  spirit 
but  the  author  is  in  plain  sympathy  with  the  French  as  well  as  with 
Charles  de  Blois;*  we  have  a  vivid  realistic  picture  of  the  miserable 
peasants  led  in  chains  to  Ploermel,  such  a  picture  as  an  eyewitness 
might  well  have  sketched.  The  author  is  acquainted  with  the 
geographical  features  which  he  describes.  The  moult  beau  pri  with 
its  vegetation  and  the  chesne  de  Mye-voie  are  known  to  him.  All  the 
members  of  both  parties  are  named.  This  would  not  be  surprising 
in  the  case  of  the  Bretons  but  it  would  astonish  us  if  he  could  enumer- 
ate all  the  English,  for  the  most  part  men  of  comparative  insignifi- 
cance, unless  he  had  some  personal  knowledge  of  them.  The 
conclusion  we  draw  is  also  borne  out  by  what  we  are  permitted  to 
judge  of  the  original  language  of  the  poem.  Both  MSS,  as  might  be 
expected  of  any  composition  of  so  late  a  date,  are  filled  with  Francian 
traits  which  occur  in  D  along  with  the  western  forms.  The  scantiness 
of  rimes  has  already  been  mentioned;  however,  two  are  significant 
for  the  language  of  the  author.  In  D249,  B210  occurs  the  form  au 
jour  d'S  for  au  jour  d'ui  (cf.  Introduction,  V,  I,  6)  which  is  found  in 
lUe-et-Vilaine.  This  brings  us  within  a  short  distance  of  the  scene  of 
the  combat.  Further  west  at  this  time  the  Breton  language  was 
spoken.  The  local  tone  eliminates  a  consideration  of  the  more 
easterly  portion  of  g-\-i  development.  The  other  form  in  rime  is 
lu  (for  luy)  in  D228,  B189,  etc.  (cf.  Introduction,  V,  I,  21),  which, 

«  Cf.  D66-64;  B56-63. 

*  He  was  ransomed  early  In  1353;  cf.  La  Borderie,  op.  cit..  Ill,  536. 
» Cf.  La  Borderie,  op.  cit..  Ill,  547. 

*  Cf.  D238;   B199.  »  Cf.  D237;   B198. 

542 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  33 

according  to  Miss  Pope,  is  regular  for  Anjou,  just  south  of  where 
we  suppose  the  Bataille  to  have  been  written.  Its  occurrence  in  the 
popular  speech  of  Maine  has  also  been  affirmed.  Putting  these 
linguistic  features  together,  we  believe  we  are  justified  in  concluding 
that  the  Bataille  was  written  in  the  southern  part  of  lUe-et-Vilaine, 
not  far  from  the  boimdary  of  Morbihan,  or  possibly  even  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  latter  department. 

VII.      AUTHOR 

The  authorship  of  the  Bataille  has  been  ascribed  to  Cuvelier,^  the 
author  of  the  Vie  Vaillant  de  Bertrand  du  Guescliriy^  on  account  of  a 
great  similarity  of  style.  It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  work  of 
Cuvelier,  written  in  the  same  meter,  soimds  in  many  places  like  the 
Bataille.  On  the  other  hand,  a  great  deal  of  this  effect  is  produced  by 
repetitions  of  epic  phrases  and  conventional  terms  that  are  a  general 
characteristic  of  the  chanson  de  geste  and  not  to  the  Bataille  and  the 
Vie  Vaillant  de  Bertrand  du  Guesclin  alone.  We  have  seen  that  the 
Bataille  was  written  probably  as  early  as  1355,  while  the  poem  of 
Cuvelier  was  composed  after  1380.^  It  is  also  significant  that,  while 
Cuvelier  mentions  Beaumanoir  and  several  others  who  were  in  the 
Bataille  de  Trente,  he  nowhere  refers  to  that  event  as  he  would 
certainly  be  likely  to  do  if  he  had  been  the  author  of  our  poem. 
Again,  in  the  passage  of  Cuvelier's  poem  (11. 1670  ff.),  in  the  account 
of  the  capture  of  Fougerai  he  brings  Du  Guesclin  into  conflict  with 
two  Englishmen,  Guillaume  and  Robert  de  Brambroc.  Who  these 
individuals  were  has  not  been  determined.  Charridre*  thinks  it 
probable  that  tradition  has  established  a  connection  between  the 
English  leader  of  the  Bataille  and  the  leader  at  Fougerai.  However 
that  may  be,  one  thing  is  certain,  namely,  that  if  Cuvelier  wrote  the 
Bataille  he  would  not  have  been  likely  to  cause  Brambro  to  be  killed 
a  second  time,  by  Du  Guesclin. 

This  deduction  from  the  subject  matter  is  also  borne  out  by  the 
rimes  in  the  poem  of  Cuvelier.  A  laisse  in  u,  which  is  so  favored 
by  the  author  of  the  Bataille,  is  almost  unknown  in  the  approxi- 
mately 23,000  lines  of  the  Bertrand  du  Guesclin  where  we  find  only 

1  Cf.  De  Courcy,  op.  cit.,  p.  15. 
»  Cf.  ed.  CharriSre,  2  vols.,  Paris,  1835. 

»  Cf.  ed.  CharriSre,  op.  cit.,  I,  p.  Ixvi.  *  Op.  cit.,  II,  p.  337. 

543 


34  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

one  laisse  (11.  19928-72)  with  this  termination  and  only  nine  laisses 
in  -us.  While  the  form  lu  is  found  four  times  in  rime  in  both  MSS  of 
the  Bataille  it  is  entirely  lacking  in  Cuvelier  and  is  even  avoided  by 
inversion  (e.g.,  395,  de  lui  quatre  festus).  Lui  is  frequent  in  laisses 
in  -i.  The  development  p-fi  =  ^  is  also  unknown;  instead,  we  have 
regularly  m  (e.g., /im,  1778;  anm7, 19969;  anm^te,  1404;  pluie  :  prae- 
He,  18364-65).  On  the  other  hand  we  have  laisses  in  -ie  which 
show  numerous  reductions  of  -iee  to  -ie  which  is  entirely  lacking  in 
the  Bataille  save  for  the  easily  explained  aillie. 

Who  then  did  write  the  Bataille?  De  Courcy  says,  "wn  trouvere 
inconnu^'^  and  probably  not  much  more  can  be  affirmed.  We  may 
hazard  a  conjecture  that  the  author  was  of  the  clergy,  possibly  con- 
nected with  Saint  MarceP  (D455),  for  the  religious  note  is  frequently 
struck.  Moreover,  there  are  many  learned  words,  especially  in  B 
laisses  XXVII  and  XV;  D  XVI.  But  whatever  his  standing,  it 
seems  very  probable  that  he  was  a  Breton  from  not  far  from  the 
scene  of  the  battle  and  that  he  wrote  within  a  few  years  after  it 
occurred. 

Henry  Raymond  Brush 

Hope  College 

»  Op.  cit.,  p.  16. 
«  Cf.  note  to  D455. 


544 


LA   BATAILLE  DE   TRENTE  ANGLOIS  ET  DE  TRENTE 

BRETONS.    II 

[Bigot  MS] 
f.  50p.         Cy  commence  la  bataille  de  .xxx.  Englois  et  de  .xxx.  Bretons  qui 
fu  faite  em  Bretaigne,  Tan  de  grace  mil  trois  cent  cinquante,  le 
sanmiedi  devant  htare  Jherusalem. 

I 

Seignem^,  or  faites  paix,  chevaliers  et  barons, 
Bannerois  bachelers,  et  trestoux  nobles  hons, 
Evesques  et  abb^s,  gens  de  religions, 
Heraulx,  menestreelx,  et  tons  bons  compaignons, 
Gentilz  hons  et  bourgois  de  toutes  nacions,  5 

Escoutez  cest  roumant  que  dire  vous  voulons. 
L'istoire  en  est  vraie  et  lez  dix  en  sont  bons; 
Conmient  trente  Englois,  hardix  comme  hons, 
Combatirent  un  jour  contre  trente  Bretons, 
f.  51r.   Et  pour  ce  j'en  vueil  dire  le  vray  et  lez  raisons,  10 

Sy  s'esbatront  sou  vent  gentilz  hons  et  clarjons 
De  cy  jusqu'^  cent  ans,  pour  vray,  en  leurs  maisons. 

n 

T>ons  dix,  quant  ilz  sunt  bons  et  de  bonne  centence, 

-■-'  Toux  gens  de  bien,  d'onneur,  et  de  grant  sapience. 

Pour  ouir  et  conter,  y  maitent  leur  entente;  15 

Mais  faillis  et  jaloux  sy  n'y  veulent  entendre. 

Or  en  wueil  commenchier  et  raison  en  wueil  rendre 

De  la  noble  bataille  que  on  a  dit  dez  trente; 

Sy  pri  k  celluy  Dieu,  qui  sa  char  laissa  vendre, 

Qu'il  ait  mercy  des  armes,  quer  le  plus  sunt  en  cendre.  20 

III 

Quant  Dagorne  fu  mort,  de  cest  siecle  devi6, — 
Devant  Auray  le  fort  fu  fin^e  sa  vie — 
Dez  barons  de  Bretaingne  et  de  leur  compaignie, 
Dieu  leur  face  mercy,  par  sa  sainte  piti^! 

En  son  vivant  avoit  pour  certain  ordonn^  25 

Que  [les]  menues  gens  (de  ville),  ceulx  qui  gaingnent  le  hU, 
Ne  seroient  dez  Englois  plus  prins  ne  guerroi^. 

8,  trente]  xxx;  9,  trente]  xxx;  15,  conter]  esconter. 
Modern  Philology,  July,  1912]  36  [82 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  37 


[DiDOT  MS] 

I 

f .  Ir.     O  eignours,  or  escoutez,  et  trestous  bons  barons, 
^  Baneretz  chevaliers  et  trestous  nobles  horns, 
Evesques  et  abb^s,  gents  de  religions, 
Gentilz  homes,  bourgois  de  toutes  nacions, 

Heraultz,  haulx  menestriers,  et  tons  bons  compaignons;  5 

Escoutez  cest  romants  que  dire  vous  voulons. 
L'istoire  en  est  vroye  et  les  motz  en  sont  bons; 
Coment  trente  Engloix,  hardiz  comme  lyons, 
Combatirent  ung  jour  contre  trente  Bretons. 

Et  pour  ce  le  vueil  dire:  droict  le  vieult,  et  raisons;  10 

Si  s'en  esbateront  gentilz  homs  et  clergons 
Dedans  cent  ans  encore  souvant  en  leurs  maisons. 

II 

L'en  dist  quar  il  est  vroy  et  de  belle  sentence, 

Trestous  les  gents  de  bien,  d'onneur  et  sapience. 

Pour  ouyr  et  compter,  mettent  bien  leur  entente;  15 

Mais  faillis  et  gloutons  sy  n'y  veulent  entendre. 

/^r  vous  vueil  commencier  et  raison  vous  vueil  rendre 

^^  De  la  noble  bataille  qui  est  nomm6[e]  de  trente. 

Sy  prye  celuy  Dieu,  qui  sa  char  laissa  vendre, 

Qu'il  ait  piti6  des  ammes,  car  les  corps  sont  en  cendre.  20 


III 
de  c 
f .  Iv.     y^  Devant  Auh-ay  le  fort  fust  le  baron  tu^ — 


/^uant  Dagome  fut  mort,  de  ce  si^cle  devi^, — 


Dieu  luy  face  mercy,  par  sa  saincte  piti^! 

En  son  vivant  avoit  pour  certen  ordonn^ 

Que  les  menues  gents,  ceulx  qui  gaignent  le  bl6,  25 

Ne  fussent  des  Angloix  plus  prins  ne  guerroy^. 

17,  rendre]  tendre;  20,  ammes]  ames. 

83 


38  Henrt  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

Quant  le  baron  fu  mort,  tantost  fu  oubli6, 

Quer  Bomcbourc  pour  certain  est  pour  luy  demour^, 

Qui  jure  Saint  Thomas  que  bien  sera  vengi6;  30 

Puis  a  la  terre  prinse  et  le  pais  gast6, 

Et  embla  Ploermel  k  doeul  et  k  vilt^. 

Bien  faisoit  de  Bretaingne  toute  sa  voulant^, 

Tant  qu'avint  la  journ^e  que  Dieu  oust  ordonn^, 

Que  Beaumaner  le  bon,  qui  tant  fu  alos6,  35 

Messire  Jehan  le  sage,  le  preux  et  le  sen6, 

Vers  lez  Englois  alia  pour  parler  k  seurt^. 

Sy  vit  pener  chetifz  dont  il  oust  grant  piti^; 

Ly  un  estoit  en  chesp  et  ly  aultre  ferr6, 

Ly  aultre  §s  gresiUons  et  ly  ault(e)re  en  cel6,  40 

Deux  et  deux,  trois  et  trois,  chascun  sy  fu  \i6. 

Comme(nt)  vaches  et  bouefz  que  Ten  maine  au  marchi^. 

f .  51v.   Quant  Beaumanoir  lez  vit,  du  coeur  a  soupir^, 

Sy  a  dit  ^  Bomcbourc  par  moult  tres  grant  fiert^: 

"Chevaliers  d'Engleterre,  vous  faictes  grant  pechi^  45 

De  travaillier  lez  povres,  ceulz  qui  siement  le  bl6, 

Et  la  char  et  le  vin  de  quoy  a  von  plants. 

Se  laboureux  n'estoient,  je  vous  dy  mon  pens6, 

Lez  noblez  convendroit  travaillier  en  I'er^ 

Au  flaiel  (et)  k  (la)  houette,  et  souffrir  povret4;  60 

Et  ce  seroit  grant  paine  quant  n'est  acoustum^. 

Paix  aient  d'or  en  avant,  quer  trop  Font  endur^, 

Le  testament  Dagorne  est  bien  tost  oubli4." 

It  Bomcbourc  sy  respont  par  moult  tres  grant  fiert^: 

-"Beaumaner,  taisi6s-vous,  de  ce  n'y  soit  (plus)  parl6.  55 

Monfort  sy  sera  due  de  la  noble  duchi^ 
De  Pontorsum  k  Nantez,  jusquez  k  Saint  Mah6; 
Edouart  sera  roy  de  France  couronn^; 
Englois  auront  mestrie,  partout  auront  post^, 
Maulgr^  tous  lez  Franchois  et  ceulx  de  leur  cost6."  60 

Et  Beaumaner  respont  par  grant  humility : 

— "Songi^s  un  aultre  songe,  cetuy  est  mal  songi6, 
Quer  jamais  par  tel  voie  n'en  auriez  demy  pi^." 

31,  gast6]  gaistS;   32,  Ploermel]  Pelmel;   37,  alia]  allerent;  39,  en]  un;   40,  5s  gre- 
siUons] egreslUons;  42,  vaches  et  bouefz]  bouefz  et  vaches;  55,  n'y  soit]  n'aist. 


84 


E^ 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  89 

[DiDOT  MS] 

Quant  le  baron  fust  mort,  tout  ce  fust  oubly^, 

Car  Brambroc  pour  certein  pour  luy  est  demour6, 

Qui  jura  Sainct  Thomas  que  il  sera  veng^, 

Et  ot  toute  la  terre  et  le  pais  gast^.  30 

Lors  ambla  Ploearmel  k  dueil  et  h,  vilt6; 

Bien  faisoit  de  Bretaigne  toute  sa  volenti, 

Jusques  vint  la  journee  que  Dieux  ot  ordonn^, 

Que  Beaumanoir  le  bon,  qui  tant  fust  alos^, 

Messire  Jehan  le  saige,  le  preux  et  le  sen6,  35 

Aloit  veoir  les  Angloix  et  parler  k  seurt6. 

Si  vit  paouvres  chetififz  dont  il  eust  grant  piti6; 

Les  imgs  estoint  ds  septs  et  les  aultres  ferr^, 

Deux  et  deux,  trois  et  trois,  ainsin  estoint  ly^s, 
Comme  vachez  et  beuffz  que  Ten  maine  au  marcM,  40 

Chascun  souffroit  grant  peine,  douleur  orphanit^. 
Quant  Beaumanoir  les  vit,  du  cueur  a  souspir4; 
V      A  Brambroc  sy  a  dist  par  grant  humility : 

"Chevalier  d' Angle  terre,  vous  faictes  grant  pechi6 
De  travailler  le  peuple  qui  laboure  le  bl4;  46 

Et  la  char  et  le  bl6  de  ceulx  avons  plants. 
Si  laboureurs  ne  fussent,  ie  vous  dy  mon  pans6, 
Les  nobles  couvendroit  travailler  en  Tar^ 
Au  flayeul,  k  houette,  et  souffrir  pouvret^; 

Ellas!  ce  seroit  peine  k  qui  n'a  coustum^.  50 

Paix  ayent  d'or  en  avant,  ass4s  ont  endur^, 
Le  testament  Dagorne  n'est  mye  achiv4; 
Executour  en  estes,  qu'il  soit  execute." 
Et  Brambroc  luy  a  dist  par  moult  tres  grant  fiert^: 
f.  2r.     — "Beaumanoir,  taisiez-vous,  de  ce  n'y  soit  parl4;  55 

Montf  ort  sy  sera  due  de  la  noble  duchi^ 
De  Pontorson  k  Nantes,  jusques  k  Saint  Mah6; 
Edouart  sera  roy  de  France  couronn6; 
Angloix  auront  le  haut  partout  et  poest6, 

Maulgr^  tous  les  Frangoys  et  ceulx  de  leur  cost^."  60 

Et  Beaumanoir  respont,  le  preux  et  le  sen6, 
A  Brambroc  et  a  dist  par  moult  tres  grant  fiert^: 
— "Song^s  ung  aultre  songe,  car  cestuy  est  song^, 
Car  jamais  par  tel  voye  n'y  aur6s  demy  pi6." 

49,  a  houette]  la  houette. 


40  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 
IV 

"Bomcbourc,"  dit  Beaumaner,  "sachiez  certainement 

Que  toutes  vos  gouberges  sy  ne  valent  noient:  65 

Ceulx  qui  le  plus  en  dient,  en  la  fin  leur  mesprent. 

Or  le  faison,  Bomcbourc,  s'il  vous  plaist,  sagement; 

Combaton  nous  ensemblez  k  un  ajournement, 

Soixante  compaignons,  ou  quatre  vingt,  ou  cent; 

Adonc  verra  on  bien,  pour  vray  certainement,  70 

Qui  aura  tort  ou  droit  sans  aller  plus  avant." 

— "Sire,"  ce  dit  Bomcbourc,  "et  je  le  vous  fiant." 

69.  quatre  vingt].  iiij.  zx. 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  41 

[DlDOT  MS] 
IV 
'T>rambroc,"  dist  Beaumanoir,  "saichez  certeinement  65 

-^  Que  trestous  voz  goberges  n'y  valent  ung  nyent; 
Celuy  qui  plus  en  parle,  maintes  foiz  se  mesprent. 
Or  le  faesmes,  beau  sire,  si  vous  plaist,  saigement; 
Combatons  nous  ensemble  h  img  adioumement, — 
Sexante  compaignons,  ou  quatre  vingt,  ou  cent —  70 

Et  lors  verra  Ton  cler  adoncques  et  vrayment, 
Qui  aura  tort  ou  droit,  sans  aller  plus  avant." 


B- 


rambroc,"  dist  Beaumanoir,  "pour  Dieu  le  droitturier, 
Vous  estes  vaillant  honune  et  moult  soutiff  guerrier; 
Ven^s  k  la  journ^e  sans  exoine  mander.  75 

L'an  dist  mainte  parole  qu'on  vouldroit  rappeller 
Et  dist  on  grants  goberges  souvant  dessus  disner; 
Si  ne  me  faictes  mie,  comme  k  Pierres  Angier, 
Le  vaillant  homme  noble,  le  gentil  bachelier. 

0  vous  il  print  joumee,  ce  fust  pour  batailler;  80 

A  Ambissat  la  ville,  comme  ie  ouy  compter,      y 
Et  1^  vint  au  dit  lieu,  pour  sa  foy  acquiter, 
A  six  vingts  esperons,  tons  faitz  d'or  et  d'acier. 
Brambroc,  vous  deffaillistes,  n'y  osastes  aler; 
Cest  faict  cy  est  moult  grant,  vous  n'en  dev^s  mocquer,  86 

De  cy  k  ung  grant  temps  Ton  en  vouldra  parler." 
— "T>eaumanoir,"  dist  Brambroc,  "pour  Dieu  laiss^s  ester, 
f.  2v.       XJ  Qar  je  seroy  ou  champ  pour  certein  le  premier; 
Avec  moy  trente  hommes,  sans  croistre  ne  besser. 
Qui  seront  tons  couvers  de  bon  fer  et  d'acier.  90 

Ja  n'y  menroy  villain,  Dieu  me  vueille  ayder, 
Car  le  maindre  de  tous  sy  sera  escuyer, 
Portant  timicles  d'armes,  luy  ou  son  davancier." 
Mais  Brambroc  sy  mentist,  h  celer  ne  vous  quier, 
II  meina  ung  villein  avoueltre  pautonnier  95 

Qui  portoit  bien  de  febves,  sur  son  coul  ung  sextier; 
Le  ventre  ot  plus  gros  que  celuy  d'ung  coursier. 
Brambroc,  par  grant  fiert^,  ce  jour  le  fist  armer; 
Par  luy  cuida  la  mort  de  Dagorne  venger; 

Il|devoit  tout  abatre,  le  villein  losengier.  100 

|e  Beaumanoir  le  noble  je  vous  en  vueil  compter; 
A  Brambroc  sy  a  dist:  "  Je  vueil  de  cy  aler 
70,  quatre  vingt]  iiij.  xx. 

87 


D 


42  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 


V 

A  insi  fu  la  bataille  jur^e  par  tel  point 
-^^  Que,  sans  barast  ne  fraude,  loiaulment  le  fero[i]nt 
Et,  d'un  cost6  et  d'aultre,  toux  k  cheval  sero[i]nt.  76 


f .  62r.   Sy  pri  au  roy  de  gloire,  qui  tout  sait  et  tout  voi[n]t, 
Qu'il  en  aist  au  droit,  quer  ce  en  est  le  point. 


o 


VI 

r  ont  ils  k  Pelmel  la  bataille  jur6e. 


A  trente  compaingnons,  chascun  de  sa  men^e. 

Puis  s'en  vint  Beaumaner,  k  la  chiere  membr^e,  80 

Au  chasteau  Josselin,  la  nouvelle  a  compt^e, 

Le  fait  et  rent[r]eprinse,  mestier  n'y  a  cel^e, 

De  luy  et  de  Bomcbourc  comment  ell[el  est  al4e. 

L^  trouva  des  barons  moult  tres  grant  assembl^e; 

Chacun  la  mercy  Dieu  en  out  moult  merchi^e.  85 

VII 

— * '  Q  eigneurs,"  dit  Beaumaner,  "sachiez  sans  demourance 
^  Qu'entre  Bomcbourc  et  moy  avon  fait  acordance, 

A  trente  compaignons,  chacun  de  grant  puissance. 

Sy  feroit  bon  choisir  qui  bien  ferroit  de  lance, 

Et  de  hache  et  d'esp^e  et  de  dague  pesante.  90 

Sy  pry  le  roy  de  gloire,  le  Dieu  de  sapience, 

Qu[e]  aions  Tavantage,  ne  seron  en  doubtance. 

As4s  em  parlera  on  en  roiaulme  de  France 

Et  par  toutes  lez  terres  de  cy  jusqu'  h  Plaisance." 

VIII 

[A]  Beaumaner  ont  dit  (lez)  nobilles  bacheliers;  95 

Et  la  chevalerie,  servans  et  escuiers, 

Dient  k  Biaumaner,  "Nous  (y)  yron  volentiers 

Pour  destruire  Bomcbourc  et  toux  sez  soudoiers. 

76,  sait]  soit;  78,  ont]  onlt;  82,  mestier  n'yacel6e]  maistrey  n'y  a  celSe;  85,  out]  on 
86,  demourance]  doubtance;  88,  trente]  xxx;  95,  bacheliers]  barons. 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  43 

[DiDOT  MS] 
A  chasteau  Jocelin  pour  mes  gents  ordrenner." 
— "Al^s,"  se  dist  Brambroc,  "auxi  je  vueil  mander; 
Par  toute  la  duchi6  je  fer^  assambler  105 

Touts  les  nobles  Angloix  que  je  pourroy  trouver." 

VI 

A  insin  fust  la  bataille  jur^e  par  tel  point, 
■^-^  Et  que,  sans  nulle  fraude,  loyaulment  le  feroyent, 
Et  d'ung  cost6  et  d'aultre,  touts  k  cheval  seroyent, 
Ou  trois,  ou  cinq,  ou  six,  ou  touts  se  ilz  vouloint;  110 

Sans  election  d'armes,  ainxin  se  combatroint. 
En  guise  et  maniere  que  chascun  le  vouldroint. 
Sy  pry  au  roy  de  gloire,  qui  voit  et  bas  et  mont, 
Qu[e]il  aide  au  droit,  car  icy  est  le  poinct. 


o- 


VII 

|r  ont  k  Ploearmel  la  bataille  jur^e  115 

D'eulx  combatre  ensemble,  k  certeine  journ^e, 
A  trente  compaignons,  chascun  de  sa  livr^e. 
Puis  s'en  vint  Beaumanoir,  k  la  chere  membr^e, 
A  chasteau  Jocehn,  la  nouvelle  a  compt^e, 

Et  le  faict(e)  et  la  chose  comme[nt]  eUe  est  al^e;  120 

f.  3r.     De  luy  et  de  Brambroc  n'y  a  chose  ceMe. 

L^  trouva  des  barons  moult  grande  Tassambl^e; 
Chascun  la  Nostre  Dame  en  eust  moult  graci^e. 

VIII 

— "Oeigneurs,"  dist  Beaumanoir,  "sachez  sans  demourance 

^  Qu'entre  Brambroch  et  moy  en  avons  accordance  125 

De  nous  combattre  ensemble,  sans  nulle  deffaillance, 

A  trente  compaignons,  chascun  de  grant  puissance. 

Si  auroit  bon  mestier  choisir  qui  fiert  de  lance 

Et  de  bon  branc  d'acier,  car  la  chose  est  grande; 

Et  si  Jhesucrist  donne  par  sa  saincte  puissance  130 

Que  Tavantaige  ayons,  ne  soyez  en  doubtance, 

Moult  en  sera  parl^  par  le  royaulme  de  France 

Et  par  tout  le  pays  qui  tient  son  aUance." 

IX 

/^r  vont  k  Beaumanoir  les  nobles  bacheliers 
^^  Et  la  chevalerie,  servants  et  escuyers,  135 

Et  dyent,  "Noble  sire,  nous  irons  volentiers 
Pour  destruire  Brambroch,  luy  et  ses  souldoyers; 
110,  ou  cinq,  ou  six]  ou.  v.  ou.  vj. 

89 


44  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

II  n'aura  ja  de  nous  ne  ranchon  ne  deniers, 

Car  nous  sommes  hardix  et  vaillans  et  entiers;  100 

Nous  ferron  sur  Engloiz  de  moult  grans  coux  planiers. 

IX 
T>ren6s  qu'il  vous  plaira,  tres  nobile  baron." 

— "  Je  pren[dray]  Tintinlac,  k  Dieu  soit  beneichon, 
Et  Guy  de  Rochefort  et  Charruel  le  bon, 

Guillaume  de  La  Marche  sera  mon  compaignon,  105 

Et  Robin  Raguenel,  en  non  de  Saint  Y[v]on, 
Caron  de  Boscdegas,  qu  (e)*  oublier  ne  doit  on, 
Messire  Giuffrai  de  Bou^s,  qui  est  de  grant  renon, 
f .  52p.   Et  Olivier  Arel,  qui  est  hardy  Breton, 

Messire  Jehan  Rousselot,  qui  a  coeur  de  lion;  110 

Se  ceulx  ne  se  defifendent  de  Bomcbourc  le  felon, 
Jamais  je  n'auray  joye  par  mon  entencion." 


A  pres  convient  choisir  moult  trez  noble  escuier; 

De  Montauban  Guillaume  prendray  tout  le  premier, 

(Et)  de  Tintinlac  Alain,  qui  tant  est  [bon  et]  fier,  116 

Pinctinien  Tritran,  qui  tant  fait  k  proisier, 

Alain  de  Carramois  et  son  oncle  Olivier, 

Lois  Guion  vendra  ferir  d'un  branc  d'achier, 

Luy  et  le  Fonstenois,  pour  lem^s  corps  essoier. 

Hauguet  Capus  le  sage  ne  doit  on  oublier,  120 

Et  Giuffrai  de  la  Roche  sera  fait  cevalier, 

De  Brice,  son  bon  pere,  qui  ala  guerroier 

Jusques  (en)  Costentinnoble,  pour  grant  honneur  gaingner: 

Se  ceulx  ne  se  deffendent  de  Bourcbourc  le  merchier. 

Qui  chaillenge  Bretaingne,  — Dieu  luy  dont  encombrier!  125 

Jamais  ils  ne  devroient  chaindre  de  branc  d'achier. 

XI 

/^hoisy  a  Beaumanoir,  ainsy  com  vous  ay  dit, 

^^  Giuffray  Poulart,  Morisce,  — [cil]  de  Tris[6]guidy — 

Et  Guion  de  Pontblanc  ne  mestroy  en  oubly, 

Et  Morisce  Du  Pare,  un  escuier  hardy,  130 

107,  Boscdegas]  Bosc  de  gas;  111,  ceulx]  ib  eidx;  114,  Montauban]  Mont  Auban; 
118,  Lois  Guion  vendra]  Lors  Guion  y  vendra;  121,  de  La  Roche]  de  Roche;  129,  Pont- 
blanc] Porcblant;  130,  Du  Pare]  Du  Part. 

90 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  45 

[DiDOT  MS] 

De  nous  n'aura  il  mye  ne  ransczons  ne  deniers, 
Car  nous  sommes  hardis  et  courants  et  legiers; 
Et  ferrous  sur  Angloix  de  moult  grans  coups  et  fiers.  140 


Prenez  qui  vous  plaira,  tres  droit  noble  baron." 
— "Oeigneurs,"  dist  Beaumanoir,  "si  les  enchoisisson." 
^  Et  prindrent  Tyntjmiac,  h  Dieu  le  beneisson, 
Et  Guy  de  Rocheffort  et  Charruel  le  bon, 

Et  Robin  Raganel,  ou  nom  de  Saintt  Symon,  145 

Caro  de  Bodegat,  qui  moult  est  bel  et  bon, 
Guillaume  de  la  Lande  sera  son  compaignon, 
Et  Olivier  Arrel,  qui  est  hardy  Breton, 
Sire  Jehan  Rousselet,  qui  a  cueur  de  leon, 

Messire  Geffray  Du  Boys,  le  gentil  compaignon:  160 

Si  ceulx  ne  se  deffendent  de  Brambroch  le  fellon, 
Jamais  je  n'auroy  joie  en  mon  entencion. 

XI 
A  mpres  couvint  choisir  maint  gentil  escuyer; 
f;  3c.     -l\.  j)g  Montauban  Guillaume  prindrent  tout  le  primier, 

De  Tyntyniac  Alain,  qui  tant  a  le  cueur  fier,  155 

De  Pestivien  Tristan,  qui  tant  est  bon  guerrier, 

Alain  de  Keranraes  et  son  oncle  Olivier; 

Louys  Gouyon  vendra  ferir  du  branc  d'acier, 

Luy  et  le  Fontenais,  pour  leurs  corps  aloser, 

Huet  Captus  le  noble  ne  devons  oublier,  160 

Et  Geffroy  de  la  Roche  sera  fait  chevaUer; 

Si  Dieu  plaist,  la  joum^e  luy  debvra  remambrer 

De  la  bont6  son  pere,  qui  ala  guerroyer 

Jusques  Constentinnoble,  pour  son  corps  aloser. 

Ceulx  cy  se  deffendront  de  Brambroch  le  baffier,  165 

Qui  chalonge  la  terre, — Dieu  luy  doint  encombrier! 

XII 

/'"^hoisy  a  Beaumanoir,  ainsi  comme  vous  dy, 
^^  Gefifroy  Poulart,  Morice, — cil  de  Tr^z^guidy — 
Et  Guyon  de  Pontblanc,  qui  est  moult  bon  amy, 
Et  Morice  Du  Pare,  ung  escuyer  hardy,  170 

159,  le]  les. 


91 


46  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

Et  Guiffray  de  Beaucorps,  qui  est  moult  son  amy, 
Et  celuy  de  Lenlop,  Giuflfray  Mellon  aussy. 
Tous  ceulx  que  il  appele  luy  en  rendent  mercy; 
lis  sunt  touz  k  present,  ils  s'enclinent  vers  luy. 

XII 

A  pres  print  Beaumanoir,  c'est  chose  sans  doubtance,  135 

•^-^  Jehanot  Desserain,  Guillaume  de  la  Lande, 
Olivier  Montevile,  homme  de  grant  puissance, 
Et  Symonnet  Pachart,  pas  n'i  fera  faillance. 
Toux  y  metront  leurs  coeurs  et  leurs  corps  em  balance 

Et  tant  simt  assembles  sans  nulle  demourance.  140 

Dieu  lez  wueille  garder  de  male  pestilence! 

XIII 
f.  53r.    i~\T  choisy  Beaumanoir  tout  son  nombre 

^^  De  trente  bons  Bretons, — or  lez  gart  Dieu  de  honte 

Et  k  leurs  anemis  envoit  Dieu  tele  encontre, 

Qu'ilz  soient  desconfis,  voiant  de  tout  le  monde!  145 

XIV 
TV/Tessire  Robert  Bomcbourc  a  choysy  d'aultre  part 
-^'^  A  trente  compaingnons  dont  il  avoit  grant  tart; 
Je  vous  djTay  leurs  nons,  par  le  corps  Saint  Be[r]nart. 
Ly  un  sy  fu  Canolez,  Carvalay  et  Crucart, 

Messire  Jehan  Plansanton,  Ridel  e  le  gaillart,  150 

Helecoq  son  frere,  et  Jennequin  Taillart, 
Rippefort  le  vaiUant,  et  d'llande  Richart, 
Tommelin  Belifort,  qui  moult  sust  du  renart, — 
Cil  combatoit  d'un  mail  qui  pesoit  bien  le  quart 
De  cent  livres  d'achier,  se  Dieu  ait  en  moy  part.  155 

Huceton  Clemenbean  combatoit  d'un  fauchart 
Qui  tailloit  d'un  cost^,  crochu  fu  d'aultre  part, 
Devant  fu  amour6  trop  plus  que  n'est  un  dart. 
II  poursembloit  lez  armes  jadix  roy  Agappart 

Quant  combaty  de  lance  encontre  Renouart;  160 

Cil  qu'il  ataint  k  coup,  I'ame  du  corps  lui  part. 
Jennequin  Betoncamp,  Renequin  Herouart, 
Et  Gaule  rAl[e]mant,  Huebnie  le  vilart, 

143,  trente]  xxx;  144,  envoit]  avoit;  147.  trente]  xxx;   155,  livres]  11. 

92 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  47 

[DiDOT  MS] 

Et  Geffroy  de  Beaucours,  n'en  soyez  esbahy, 
Celuy  de  la  Villong,  Geffroy  Moelon  auxi. 
Tous  ceulx  qu'il  en  appelle  luy  en  rendent  mercy 
Et  vont  tous  k  genoulx,  escuyers  devant  luy. 

XIII 

Ampres  print  Beaumanoir,  c'est  chose  sans  doubtance,  175 

Jahannot  de  Serrant,  homme  de  grant  puissance, 
Olivier  Bouteville,  Guillaume  de  La  Lande, 
Et  S3nnonet  Richard,  ceulx  n'y  feront  faillance. 
Ceulx  y  mettront  leurs  cueurs  et  leurs  corps  en  balance 
Pour  garder  leurs  pais  de  male  aUence.  180 

Atant  se  sont  partis  sans  point  de  demourance, — 
Dieu  les  vueille  garder  de  male  pestilance! 

XIV 

Or  si  a  Beaumanoir  choisy  trestout  son  nombre 
De  trente  compaignons, — Dieu  les  garde  de  honte 
Et  k  leurs  ennemis  envoye  male  encontre,  185 

Que  ilz  soint  desconfilz,  voyant  trestout  le  mondel 

XV 

f.  4r.     ~|%/ressire  Robert  Brambroch  a  choisy  d'aultre  part 
^^  De  trente  compaignons  dont  il  avoit  grant  tart; 
Je  ne  s^ay  pas  leurs  noms,  mais  le  cueur  si  m'en  art, 
Mais  o  luy  fust  CroU^s,  Tavarllay  et  Conchart,  190 

Messire  Jehan  Plesanton,  Redoure  le  gaillart, 
Huelcoc  et  son  frere,  Renequin  Relcart 
Ripeffart  le  vaillant,  et  ung  aultre  Richard, 
Thomehn  Belliffart,  qui  fust  fier  de  regard, — 

Gil  combatoit  d'ung  mail  qui  pesoit  bien  le  marc  195 

De  cent  livres  d'acier,  sy  Dieu  m'ait  en  sa  part. 
Huelcoq  Glomean  combatoit  d'ung  fussart 
Qui  tailloit  d'ung  cost^,  crochu  fust  d'aultre  part; 


Ce  jour  sambloit  les  armes  jadis  roy  Edouart. 


Jehannot  Begurcamp,  Renequin  Helcart,  200 

Et  Gaultier  I'Alemant,  Hulbure  le  veillart, 

172,  Moelon]  Moelou;   185,  encontre]  honte. 

93 


48  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

Renequin  Mareschal,  cy  mouru  celle  part, 

Thommelin  Houalton,  Robinet  Melipart,  165 

Isanay  le  hardy,  Helichon  le  musart, 

Troussel,  Robin  Ad6s  et  Dango  le  couart, 

Et  le  nepveu  Dagorne,  fier  fu  com  un  liespart, 

Et  quatre  Brebenchons,  par  le  corps  Saint  Godart, 

Perrot  de  Commelain,  Guillemin  le  gaillart,  170 

(Et)  Raoulet  d'Aspremont,  d'Ardaine  fu  le  quart. 

Bretons  desconfiront,  ce  dient,  par  leur  art, 

Et  conquerront  Bretaingne  jusqu'aupres  de  Dinart; 

Mais  de  fole  vantance  est  maint  tenu  musart. 


XV 

f.  53c.    f~\r  a  Robert  Bomcbourc  choysy  ses  compaignons.  175 

^^  Trente  furent  par  nombre  et  de  trois  nations; 
Car  vingt  Englois  y  oust,  hardis  comme  lions, 
Et  six  bons  Alemans  et  quatre  Brebenchons. 
Armez  furent  de  plates,  bacines,  hauberjons: 

Espies  ourent,  et  dagues  et  lancez  et  fauchons;  180 

Et  Englois  jurent  Dieu,  qui  souffri  passions, 
Beaumanoir  sera  mort,  le  gentilz  et  li  bons. 
Mais  ly  preux  et  ly  sages  jfist  ses  devocions 
Et  faisoit  dire  messes  par  grant  oblacions 
Que  Dieu  leur  soit  en  aide  par  sez  saintismes  nons.  185 

XVI 

Quant  le  temps  fu  pass^  et  le  jour  fu  venu 
Que  rendre  se  devoient  dessus  le  pr6  herbu, 
Beaimianoier  le  vaillant,  que  Dieu  croisse  en  vertu, 
Sez  compaignons  apele;  qu'ilz  vindrent  toux  k  luy, 
Et  leur  fist  dire  messez,  chacun  fu  absolu,  190 

Prinrent  leur  sacrement  en  non  du  roy  Jhesu. 

XVII 

"O  eigneurs,"  dit  Beaumanoier  o  le  hardy  visage, 
^  "  Ja  trouverois  Englois,  qui  sunt  de  grant  courage, 
lis  sunt  en  volenti  de  nous  faire  doumage: 
Sy  vous  pry  et  requier,  chascun  de  bon  courage,  195 

177,  vingt]  XX.;  178,  six]  vj;  182,  bons]  hons. 

94 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  49 

[DiDOT  MS] 

Jennequin  Mareschal,  qui  momst  celle  part, 

Thomelin  Houlnanton,  Robinet  Melipart, 

Issinay,  Bicquillay,  et  Harclou  le  musart, 

Trousel,  Robin  Nadr^s,  Huelton  le  contart,  205 

Et  le  nepvou  Dagorne,  fier  comme  ung  liepart. 

Quatre  Bretons  y  furent,  par  le  corps  Saint  Lenart, 

Perrot  de  Cornelian  et  Hamon  le  gaillart, 

Raoulet  du  Primant,  Dagorne  Renouart, 

Trente  furent  nommez  des  gents  roy  Edouart;  210 

Bretons  desconfiront  s'ilz  treuvent  en  leur  art, 

Et  concquerront  Bretaigne  jusquez  chasteau  Dynart; 

Mais  de  folle  cuydance  est  moult  tenu  musart. 


O 


XVI 

ir  a  Robert  Brambroch  choisy  ses  compaignons. 
Trente  furent  par  nombre  et  de  trois  nacions;  215 

Car  vingt  Anglois  y  eust,  hardis  comme  lyons, 
Avecq  six  Al[e]mans  avoit  quatre  Bretons. 
Arm^s  furent  de  plates,  bacynes,  haubergons, 
Et  espies  et  lances  et  de  maintes  faescons. 
f.  4:V.     Tous  jur(er)ent  Jhesucrist,  qui  souffrist  passions,  220 

Beaumanoir  sera  prins,  le  gentil  et  le  bons. 
Mais  le  preux  et  le  sage  fit  ses  de  visions; 
II  fist  dire  des  messes  par  grant  devocions, 
Que  Dieu  luy  soit  [en]  aide,  par  ses  santismes  noms. 

XVII 

Quant  le  temps  fust  pass6  et  le  iour  fust  venu  225 

Que  rendre  se  debvoient  dedans  le  pr6  herbu, 
Beaumanoir  le  vaillant,  k  qui  Dieu  doint  salu, 
Ses  compaignons  appelle  et  vindrent  tous  k  lu. 
II  leur  fist  dire  messes,  chascun  fust  absolu, 
Et  prindrent  sacrement  ou  nom  du  doulx  Jhesu.  230 

XVIII 

"O  eigneurs,"  dist  Beaumanoir  o  le  hardy  visaige; 
^  "  Ja  trouverons  Angloix  qui  sont  de  grant  oultrage, 
Et  en  grant  volenti  de  nous  faire  domaige; 
Si  vous  pry  et  requiers,  ait  chascun  bon  couraige, 

218.  plates]  places. 

95 


so  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

Ten^s-vous  Tun  k  I'autre,  com  gent  vaillant  et  sage; 

Se  Jhesucrist  vous  donne  la  force  et  Tavantage, 

Moult  en  ara  grant  joye  de  France  le  bernage 

Et  le  due  debonnaire,  k  qui  j'ay  fait  houmage, 

Et  la  f ranee  duchesse,  k  qui  suis  de  lignage:  200 

Jamais  ne  nous  haerront  k  jour  de  leur  aage." 

Et  chascun  jure  Dieu,  qui  hons  fist  en  s'image: 

"Se  nous  trouvons  Bomcbourc  au  plain,  hors  du  boscage, 

Jamais  ne  le  verra  honune  de  son  lignage." 


o- 


XVIII 

ir  diroy  de  Bomcbourc  qui  tant  a  exploiti^  205 

De  trente  compaignons  dont  il  est  ali^. 
Ensemble  lez  amaine  belement,  droit  au  pr6, 
f.  54r.   Et  leur  a  dist  k  toux,  c'est  fine  verity : 

"J'ay  fait  lire  mez  livrez,  Merlin  a  destin^ 

Que  nous  aron  victoire  sur  Bretons  au  jour  d'6,  210 

Et  puis  sera  Bretaigne  [et]  France,  de  ver(i)t6 

Au  bon  roy  Edouart,  car  je  Tay  ordonn^. " 

XIX 

"Oeigneurs,"  ce  dit  Bomcbourc,  "soiez  baulx  et  jolis; 
^  Soiez  seurs  et  certains  que  Beaumanoir  est  prins, 
Lui  et  sez  compaignons,  pi6  n'y  en  demourra  vis,  215 

Et  puis  lez  amerron  k  Edouart  le  gentilz, 
Le  franc  roy  d'Engleterre,  qui  cy  nous  a  tramis. 
Sy  fera  de  leurs  corps  trestout  k  son  devis; 
Nous  lui  rendron  lez  terres  prinses  jusqu'^  Paris, 
Puis  ne  nous  atendront  lez  Bretons  vis  k  vis."  220 

Ainsy  le  dit  Bomcbourc,  c'estoit  tout  son  avis; 
Mais  se  il  plaist  k  Dieu,  le  roy  de  paradix, 
Pas  ne  vendra  si  tost  k  chief  de  ses  devis. 

XX 

i~\T  a  tant  fait  Bomcbourc,  qu'il  est  premier  venu 

^^  A  trente  compaignons  dedens  le  pr6  herbu;  225 

A  haulte  vois  s'escrie,  "Beaumanoier,  oil  es-tu? 

Je  croy  bien  k  m'entente  que  tu  es  defalu, 

Des  c'on  f  [ejist  (em)  bataille,  k  riens  ne  t'a[s]  tenu." 

A  yceste  parole  Beaumanoier  est  venu. 

202,  flst]f  fist;  204,  le  verra]  le  le  verra;  209,  Merlin]  Meslin;  225,  trente]  xxx. 

96 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  51 

[DiDOT  MS] 

Ten^s  vous  Tun  k  I'autre,  comme  vaillans  et  saige;  235 

Et  si  Jhesucrist  done  que  ayons  Favantaige, 

Moult  en  aura  grant  joye  de  France  le  barnaige 

Et  le  due  debonaire,  k  qui  je  fis  hommaige, 

Et  la  f ranche  duchesse,  k  qui  suys  de  lignaige : 

Jamais  ne  nous  hayeront,  a  jour  de  leur  viage."  240 

Chascun  en  jure  Dieu,  qui  les  fist  a  s'(on)  ymaige, 

Que  s'ilz  trouvent  Brambroch  en  plain,  hors  de  bocaige, 

Que  jamais  ne  verra  homme  de  son  lignaige. 

XIX 

/~\t  dirons  de  Brambroch  qui  tant  a  explet^ 

^^  De  trente  compaignons  dont  il  est  ali^,  245 

Ensemble  les  ameine,  bellement  par  le  pr6, 

Et  leur  a  dist  k  tous,  c'est  pure  verity : 

"  J'ay  fait  lire  mes  livres,  Merlin  a  destin^ 

Que  nous  aurons  victoire  sur  Bretons  au  jour  d'^; 

Et  puis  sera  Bretaingne  et  France  abandonn^  250 

Au  bon  roy  Edouart,  car  je  Tay  ordenn6." 

XX 

"Oeigneurs,"  ce  dist  Brambroch,  "soi^s  b(e)aulx  et  jolis, 
f.  5r.     ►^  Et  tous  seurs  et  certains  que  Beaumanoir  est  prins; 
Luy  et  ses  compaignons  n'auront  ung  pi6  d'avis, 
Tous  les  envoyer^  k  Edouart  [le]  gentilz,  255 

Le  franc  roy  d'Angleterre,  qui  cy  nous  a  transmis. 
II  fera  de  leurs  corps  trestout  k  ses  devis; 
Nous  luy  rendrons  les  terres  prinses  jusques  Paris; 
Plus  ne  nous  actendront  les  Bretons  vis  ^  vis." 
Ainsin  estoit  par  foy  trestout  son  grant  advis;  260 

Mais,  sy  Dieu  plaist,  le  pere  et  roy  de  paradis, 
II  n'yra  pas  sy  tost  k  chieff  de  ses  devis. 

XXI 

f~\T  a  tant  fait  Brambroc,  que  premier  est  venu 

^-^  A  trente  compaignons  dedans  le  pr6  herbu; 

A  haulte  voix  il  crie,  "Beaumanoir,  ou  es  tu?  265 

Je  crois  en  mon  entent[e]  que  tu  es  deffaillu." 

A  yceste  parolle  est  Beaumanoir  venu.  * 

97 


52  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 
XXI 
"T>eaiimanoir,"  dit  Bomcbourc,  "se  nous  voulons,  amis,  230 

-^-^  (Re)muons  ceste  journ^e  et  soit  ariere  mis; 
Et  j'envoieray  nouvelles  k  Edouart  le  gentilz 
Et  vous  yr6s  parler  au  roy  de  Saint  Denis; 
Et  se  le  fait  leur  plaist,  ainsy  com  il  est  prins, 
Nous  nous  rendron  ycy,  un  jour  que  sera  mis."  236 

"Sire,"  dit  Beaumanoir,  "de  ce  auray  avis." 

XXII 

T>eaumanoir  le  vaillant,  k  la  chiere  membr^e, 
-*-*  A(s)  ses  gens  em  present  la  nouvelle  a  compt^. 
"Seigneurs,  Bourcbourc  vouldroit  la  chose  remu^e, 
Que  chascun  s'en  alast  sans  y  ferir  collie;  240 

Sy  veueil  bien  qu'entre  vous  m'en  di^s  vo  pens^e; 
f .  54r.   Car  par  ycelluy  Dieu,  qui  fit  ciel  et  rous^e, 

Dendroit  moy  n'en  prendroye  tout  Tor  d'une  contr^e 

Que  yceste  bataille  ne  fust  faicte  ne  oultr^e." 

Lors  parla  Charuel,  la  couleur  a  mu^e,  245 

N'y  oust  meilleur  de  luy  de  chi  la  mer  sal^e: 

"Sire,  nous  sommez  trente  venus  en  ceste  pr6e, 

N'y  a  celluy  qui  n'ait  dague,  lance  et  esp^e. 

Tons  praes[t]  de  nous  combatre,  en  non  Saincte  Homour^e, 

A  Bomcbourc,  puisqu'il  a  la  terre  chalengi^e  250 

Au  franc  due  debonnaire.    Cil  ait  male  dur^e 

Qui  jamais  s'en  ira  sans  y  ferir  col^e, 

Ne  qui  la  (re)muera  pour  prendre  aultre  joum^e." 

Puis  respont  Beaumaner,  "Ceste  chose  m'agr^e; 

Alons  k  la  bataille  comment  ell[e]  est  jur^e."  255 

XXIII 
"T>omcbourc,"  dit  Beaumanoir,  "vous  orrois  mon  courage; 
■^-^  Voyez  1^  Charuel  o  le  hardy  visage, 
Et  toux  lez  compaignons,  que  te  seroit  hontage 
De  (re)muer  la  bataille  qu'as  offerte  k  [IJ'oultrage 
[Qu]'avoiz  fait  au  franc  due,  qui  est  courtoiz  et  sage;  260 

Si  jure(nt)  chacun  Dieu,  qui  hons  fist  en  s'image, 
Que  vous  morrois  k  honte,  voyant  tout  le  bernage; 

Et  vous  et  tons  vos  gens,  et  tout  par  vostre  oultrage." 
247,  trente]  xxx. 

98 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  53 

[DiDOT  MS] 

XXII 

"Beaumanoir,"  dist  Brambroc,  "je  vous  pry,  beaux  amys, 

Remuons  cestuy  terme  et  soit  en  avant  mis 

Et  je  envoyer^  k  Edouart  le  gentilz  270 

Et  vous  yr6s  parler  au  roy  de  Saint  Denis; 

Et  si  le  fait  leur  plaist,  ainsin  que  il  est  prins, 

Si  nous  rend[r]on  icy,  le  jour  que  sera  mis." 

"Brambroc,"  dist  Beaumanoir,  "je  auroy  bien  advis." 

XXIII 
"Oeaumanoir  le  vaillant,  o  la  chi^re  li4e,  275 

A  ses  gents  en  present  la  nouvelle  a  cont^e. 
"Seigneurs,  Brambroc  vouldroit  la  chose  remu^e 
Et  que  chascun  iroit  sans  y  ferir  col^; 
Si  vueil  bien  qu'entre  vous  dig^s  vostre  pens^e, — 
Car  par  icelluy  Dieu  qui  fist  ciel  et  rous^e,  280 

Dendroit  moy  ne  prandroie  tout  Tor  d'une  contr^e 
Que  surement  bataille  ne  soit  faicte  et  oultr^e." 
Lors  parla  Charruel  a  la  chi^re  membr^e, 

"Sire,  nous  sommes  trente  venus  en  ceste  pr^e; 
N'a  celuy  qui  n'a  lance  et  hache  et  esp4e,  285 

f.  5v.     Tons  prestz  de  nous  combatre,  ou  nom  Saincte  Anor^e, 
0  Brambroc,  puisqu'il  a  la  terre  chaleng^e 
Par  sa  desesperance.    Qu'il  ait  male  dur^e 

Qui  mais  remuera  pour  prendre  aultre  joum^e!" 

Puis  respont  Beaumanoir,  "Ceste  chose  m'agr^e."  290 

Et  a  dist  k  Brambroc,  "Ne  soit  chose  cel^e: 

Mais  alon  en  bataille  conmie  elle  est  jur^e." 

XXIV 

"T>rambroc,"  dist  Beaumanoir,  "vous  oii^s  mon  doubtaige; 
Voyez  que  dist  Charruel  o  le  hardy  visaige, 
Et  tons  mes  compaignons,  que  ce  seroit  hontaige  295 

De  remuer  bataille  sur  fait  de  grant  oultraige 
Qu'av^s  fait  au  franc  due,  qui  est  proudoms  et  saige. 
Si  jure  chascun  Dieu,  qui  les  fist  a  s'(on)  ymaige, 
Que  vous  mourr4s  k  honte,  voyant  tout  le  barnaige; 
Et  vous  et  tous  voz  gientz,  comme  Engloix  de  rage,  300 

Ser^s  prins  et  Hez  et  n'est  pas  grant  oultraige." 

272,  que  il]  qu'il;  276,  la  nouvelle  a  cont€e]  a  la  nouvelle  cont6e;  296,  de  remuer]  et 
remuer. 

99 


64  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 
XXIV 
"T>eaumanoir,"  dit  Bomcbourc,  "vous  faictes  grant  folic 

-'^  Que  vous  mect^s  k  mort  par  vostre  estoutie  265 

La  fleur  de  la  duchi^,  par  sy  tres  grant  folic. 

Car,  quant  ilz  seront  mors  ct  trespasses  dc  vie, 

Jamais  en  la  duchi6  ne  lez  trouvcrois  mie." 
"  Oomcboure,"  dit  Beaumanoir,  ''pour  Dieu  ne  pens^s  mie 

■'-^  Que  j'ay  cy  amen6  (la)  noble  chevalerie;  270 

Laval  [ne]  Rochefort,  Eleac  n'y  est  mie, 

Montfort,  Rohan,  Quntin,  ne  la  grant  compaignie. 

Mais  j'ay  bien  de  certain  noble  chevalerie, 
Et  de  toute  Bretaigne  la  fleur  de  Tescurie, 
f .  55r.   Qui  ne  daigneroient  fuir,  ne  k  mort  ne  k  vie,  276 

Ne  feroicnt  traison,  faulset6  ne  boudie. 
Chacun  [d'eulx]  jure  Dieu,  le  filz  Sainte  Marie, 
Que  vous  mourrois  k  honte,  voiant  la  compaignie, 
Et  vous  et  toux  lez  vostrez,  quoique  chacun  en  die, 
Serois  prins  et  Hez  ains  I'oeure  de  comphe."  280 

Et  Bourcbourc  sy  respont,  "Je  ne  prise  une  aillie 
Tretoute  vo(stre)  post6  ne  vostre  segneurie; 
Car,  maugr6  vous,  ce  jour  je  auray  la  maistrie 
Et  conquerroy  Bretaigne  et  toute  Normendie." 


XXV 

"Oomcbourc  dit  aux  Englois,  "Seigneurs,  Bretons  ont  tort!        285 

-*-^  Fer^s,  frappez  su  eulx,  mect^s  tout  k  la  mort, 

Guard^s  que  rien  m'eschappe,  [non]  ne  flebe  ne  fort!" 

D'assaiUir  lez  soixante,  ilz  sunt  toux  d'un  accort; 

A  la  premiere  [joincte]  fu  grant  le  desconfort; 

Charugl  sy  fu  prins,  Giuffray  Mellon  fu  mort,  290 

Et  le  vaillant  Tritran,  qui  estoit  grant  et  fort, 

Fu  feru  du  martel  k  douleiu*  et  k  tort, 

Messire  Jehan  Rousselot  fu  feru  presqu'll  (la)  mort. 

Se  Jhesucrist  n'en  pense,  qui  tout  maine  k  droit  port, 

Lez  Bretons  ont  du  piis  vers  eulx,  je  m'en  fais  fort.  295 

273,  noble  chevalerie]  noble  1  chevalerie;  288,  soixante]  Ix. 


100 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  55 

[DiDOT  MS] 

T  ors  respondist  Brambroc  o  la  chiere  hardye, 

-■-'  Et  dist  k  Beaumanoir,  "Vous  faictes  grant  follie 

De  mectre  ainsin  h  mort  par  vostre  grant  maistrie 

La  flour  de  la  duchi^,  par  vostre  desverie."  305 

*X>rambroc,"  dist  Beaumanoir,  "pour  Dieu  ne  pens^s  mie 

Que  j'ay  cy  amein4  la  noble  compaignie; 
Laval  ne  Rochefort,  Loheac  n'y  sont  mie, 
Montfort,  Ro(c)han,  Quintin,  ne  la  grant  baronie, 
Leon  ne  Tournemine,  qui  sont  de  grant  maistrie.  310 

Mais  j'ay  bien  admein6  noble  chevalerie, 
De  toutes  pars  la  flour,  et  de  Tescuierie, 
Qui  point  ne  fouyront,  ne  pour  mort  ne  pour  vie; 
Ne  feront  traison  [ne]  faulte  ne  boydie. 

Chascun  d'eux  jure  Dieu,  le  fllz  Saincte  Marie,  316 

Que  vous  mourr^s  k  honte,  voyant  la  compaignie, 
Et  vous  et  tons  voz  gients,  quel  que  chascun  en  die, 
Ser^s  prins  et  liez,  ains  I'eure  de  compile." 


XXVI 

f.  6r.     "Drambroc  dist  aux  Angloix,  "Bretons  aront  le  tort! 

Fer^s  et  frap^s  sus,  mect^s  les  tous  k  mort!  320 

Guard^s  que  rien  n'eschappe,  non  n,e  feble  ne  fort!" 
De  s'assembler  ensemble  sont  trestous  d'ung  accord: 
A  la  premiere  joincte  fut  fort  le  desconfort. 
Charruel  fust  bleci6,  Geffroy  Moelon  fut  mort, 
Et  le  vaillant  Tristan,  qui  estoit  grant  et  fort,  325 

Fust  feru  d'ung  martel  k  douleur  et  a  tort. 
Sire  Jehan  Rouxellet  dont  fust  grant  desconfort, 
Auxi  Geffroy  Poulart,  qui  dessus  le  champ  dort. 


305,  desverie]  desveerie;  314,  feront]  seront;  324,  Moelon]  Moelou. 


101 


56  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 
XXVI 

Grande  fu  la  bataille  dedens  le  pr6  herbu, 
Caron  de  Bosdegas  fu  du  martel  (con)fondu, 
Et  le  vaiUant  Tritran  fu  k  la  mort  feru. 
Lors  s'escria  moult  hault,  "Beaumanoir,  oil  es-tu? 
Lez  Englois  sy  m'en  mainent,  blechi^  et  derompu!  300 

Je  n'  eus  onquez  paour  le  jour  que  t'ay  veil; 
Se  le  vray  Dieu  n'en  pense  par  sa  sainte  vertu, 
Englois  sy  m'enmerront  et  vous  m'aurois  perdu." 
Beaumanoir  jure  Dieu  qui  en  crois  fu  pendu, 

Avant  y  ara  il  maint  rude  coup  feru  305 

Et  rompu  mainte  lance  et  perchi^  maint  escu. 
A  ces  parolez  tient  le  biau  branc  esmoulu, — 
f.  55fl.   Cil  qu'il  ataint  h  coup  (en)  est  mort  ou  abatu — 
Lez  Englois  radement  se  deffendent  de  lu: 
Trestoute  la  post6  ne  prisent  un  festu.  310 

XXVII 

Forte  fu  la  bataille  et  le  chappie  felon 

Et  d'un  cost4  et  d'aultre  urent  coeur  de  lion 

Et  toux  par  ordenance  firent  petticion 

D'aller  toux  querre  k  boire  k  nulle  arrestezon, 

Chascun  en  sa  boutaille,  vin  d'Anjou  y  fu  bon.  315 

Quant  toux  urent  beti  par  ordination, 

Lors  vont  k  la  bataille  sans  faire  targison. 

XXVIII 

Grande  fu  la  bataille  en  my  la  pra[e]rie 
Et  le  chappie  orrible  et  dure  Testurmie. 
Lez  Bretons  ont  du  piis,  ne  vous  mentiray  mie;  320 

Car  deux  sy  en  sunt  mors  et  trespasses  de  vie, 
Et  trois  sunt  prisonnier, — (o)  leur  soit  Dieu  en  aye! 
Ne  sunt  que  vingt  et  cinq  em  bataille  fournie. 

Mais  Giuffroy  de  la  Roche  requiert  chevalerie, 

Un  escuier  moult  noble  de  grant  anchesourie,  325 

Et  Beaumanoir  lui  donne,  en  non  Sainte  Marie, 

Et  lui  dit,  ''Beau  doulx  filx,  or  ne  t'espargne  mie; 

Membre  toy  de  celuy  qui,  par  cevalerie, 

Fu  en  Constentinnoble  k  bele  compaignie." 

323,  vingt  et  cinq]  xxv;  329,  Constentinnoble]  Constentimnoble. 

102 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  57 

IDlDOT  MS] 
XXVII 


Quant  le  vaillant  Tristan  santist  qu'il  fut  fern, 
A  haulte  voiz  cria,  "Beaumanoir,  oii  es  tu?  330 

Je  n'eu  onques  nul  paour  en  lieu  od  t'ay  congneu; 
Les  Anglois  m'ont  bleci^,  ilz  m'ont  k  mort  batu, 
Sy  Damme  Dieu  ne  pause  par  la  sienne  vertu, 
lis  me  mainront  o  eulx  et  tu  m'auras  perdu." 
Beaumanoir  sy  jura  le  vroy  corps  de  Jhesu,  335 

Avant  y  aura  il  maint  rude  coup  feru, 
Et  perci6  mainte  lance  et  perci6  maint  escu. 
A  ces  paroUes  traict  le  bon  branc  esmoulu, — 
Ce  qu'il  ataint  k  coup  est  tout  mort  abatu — 

Les  Angloix  roidement  se  deffendent  de  lu;  340 

Tous  ses  dis  et  ses  faitz  ne  prisent  ung  festu. 


XXVIII 

Grande  fust  la  bataille  en  my  la  praeerie, 

T?t  le  chappie  horrible  et  dure  Tescremie; 

-^-^  Bretons  en  ont  du  pire,  ne  vous  mentir^  mie, 

Car  deux  d'eulx  en  sont  morts  et  trespasses  de  vie  345 

Et  trois  sont  prisoniers, — Dieu  leur  soit  en  aye! 

Plus  n'a  que  vingt  et  cinq  en  bataille  foumie. 

Beaumanoir  les  conforte,  o  la  chi^re  hardie, 

Et  Geffroy  de  la  Roche  requist  chevalerie, 

Ung  escuier  moult  noble  de  grant  assessourie,  350 

Et  Beaimianoir  lui  donne,  ou  nom  Saincte  Marie, 

Et  luy  a  dist,  "Beau  filz,  si  ne  t'oublie  mie; 

Remembre  toy  de  cil  qui,  pour  chevalerie. 

Fust  en  Constentinnoble  en  belle  compaignie." 


103 


58  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

Et  Giuffroy  jure  Dieu,  qui  tout  a  em  baillie,  330 

Que  Englois  la  comperront  ains  Toeure  de  compile. 

Et  Bomcbourc  I'entendy,  ne  le  prise  une  aillie, 

Trestoute  leur  post6  ne  leur  grant  seigneurie; 

Ains  dit  k  Biaumanoir  par  moult  grant  estoutie, 

"Rent  toy  tost,  Beaumanoir,  je  ne  t'ochiray  mie,  335 

Mais  je  feray  de  toy  un  present  k  m'amie, 
Car  je  luy  ay  promis,  ne  luy  mentiray  mie, 
Qu'au  jour  d'uy  te  mectray  en  sa  chambre  jolie." 
Et  Beaumanoir  respont,  "  Je  le  te  sourenvie; 

Nous  I'entendon  moult  bien,  moy  et  ma  compaignie,  340 

S'il  plaist  au  roy  de  gloire  et  k  Sainte  Marie, 
f .  56r.   A  Saint  Yves  le  bon,  en  qui  moult  je  me  fie. 
Or  giete  tost  le  d6  et  sy  ne  te  faing  mie; 
Sur  toy  sera  hazart,  courte  sera  ta  vie." 

XXIX 

Alain  de  Carromois  si  Ta  bien  entendu  345 

Et  luy  dit,  "Glout  trichierre,  qu'est  ce  que  pensez  tu? 

Penses  tu  amoir  homme  de  tel  vertu  ? 

Le  mien  corps  te  deffie  au  jour  d'uy  de  par  lu; 

Mointenant  te  ferray  de  mon  glayve  esmoulu." 

Alain  de  Carromois  I'oust  k  present  feru  350 

Par  devant  de  sa  lance  dont  le  fer  fu  agu. 

Que  par  my  le  visage,  sy  que  chacun  Ta  veu, 

Jusques  en  la  cervele  lui  a  le  fer  (em)battu. 

II  estendy  son  glaive  si  que  Bomcbourc  est  cheu; 

II  sailli  sur  lez  pi^s  et  cuida  joindre  k  lu.  355 

Messire  Giuffroy  de  Bonds  si  I'a  bien  congneti, 

Et  le  fiert  d'une  lance  sy  qu'il  Ta  aconcheu; 

Et  Bomcbourc  chay  mort  k  la  terre  abatu. 

Sy  s'escria  le(z)  Bouez,  "Beaumanoir,  oii  es-tu? 

De  cestu  es  (tu)  vengi6;  il  giest  mort  estendu."  360 

Et  Beaumanoir  respont,  que  bien  Ta  entendu, 
"Seigneurs,  combat^s  fort;  le  temps  en  est  venu! 
Pour  Dieu,  allez  aus  aultrez  et  si  laissez  cestu!" 

330,  Giuffroy]  je;  331,  comperront]  comperrront;  354,  estendy]  estemdy. 

1(M 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  59 

[DiDOT  MS] 

Et  Geffroy  jure  Dieu,  qui  tout  a  en  baillie,  355 

Angloix  le  comparront  ains  Teure  de  compile. 

"als  Brambroc  Tentendist,  ne  le  prise  ung  aillie, 


M 


Ains  dist  k  Beaumanoir  par  moult  grant  estourdie, 

"Rens  toy  tost,  Beaumanoir,  et  ne  te  tuer6  mie, 

Soy^s  sur  et  certain  que  ne  te  fauldr4  mie;  360 

Mais  je  fer6  de  toy  ung  presant  k  m'amye. 

Je  te  luy  ay  gr66,  ne  luy  mantir^  mie, 

Et  te  dy  haultement  ceste  bataille  envie." 

Et  Beaumanoir  respont,  "Et  je  la  sourenvie; 

Nous  la  tendrons  moult  bien,  moy  et  ma  compaignie,  365 

S'il  plaist  au  roy  des  roys,  qui  naquist  de  Marie, 

Et  au  tres  bon  Sainct  Yves,  en  qui  bien  je  me  fie. 

Gette  bien  tost  les  detz  et  si  ne  te  faing  mie; 

Sur  toy  sera  hasart,  courte  sera  ta  vie." 

XXIX 

A  lain  de  Keranrais  Brambroc  a  entendu  370 

■^^  Et  luy  a  dist,  "  Glouton,  que  est  ce  que  dis  tu  ? 
Pens6[s]  bien  avoir  homme  qui  est  de  tiel  vertu  ? 
Le  mien  corps  te  deffie  en  ce  jour  de  par  lu; 
Maintenant  sentiras  mon  glaive  esmoulu!" 

Alain  de  Keranrais  Fa  en  present  feru  375 

Par  devant  de  sa  lance  dont  le  fer  fust  agu, 

Jusques  k  la  cervelle  il  a  son  glaive  batu. 

Brambroc  lors  saillist  sus  et  cuida  joindre  k  lu; 
Messire  Geffroy  du  Bois  si  I'a  bien  actendu, 

Le  vaillant  homme  et  noble,  qui  fust  de  grant  vertu,  380 

Et  le  fiert  de  sa  hache  qui  luy  rompist  le  bu. 
Et  Brambroc  chet  tout  mort  k  [la]  terre  estandu. 
Puis  s'escrie  le  bon,  "Beaumanoir,  ou  es  tu, 
Mon  cher  cousin  germain,  k  qui  Dieu  doint  salu  ? 
f.  7r.     De  cest  es  tu  veng6  car  il  est  abatu."  385 

Et  Beaumanoir  respont,  qui  Fa  bien  entendu, 
"Pens^s  de  bien  faire  car  le  temps  est  venu; 
Pour  Dieu  aUs  es  aultres,  laisses  meshuy  cestui" 

377,  il  a]  la. 

105 


60  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 
XXX 

Or  voient  bien  Englois  que  Bomcbourc  est  passes, 
(Et)  Torguel  de  lui  cheii  et  lez  grandes  fiert^s.  366 

Lors  appelle  Crucart,  un  Alement  dev4s, 
"Segneurs,  saichi^s  de  vray,  en  fine  veritez, 
Failly  nous  a  Bomcbourc  qui  cy  nous  a  (a)menez; 
Toux  lez  livrez  Merlin,  que  il  a  tant  amez, 

Ne  luy  ont  pas  valu  deulx  deniers  monnoi^s;  370 

II  gist  gueule  b[a]6e,  [et]  mort  et  envers^s. 
Je  vous  pry,  beaulx  seigneurs,  faictez  com  gens  membrez; 
Tenez  vous  Tun  k  I'aultre  estroitement  serr^s; 
Cil  qui  vendra  sur  vous  soit  mort  ou  affol^s." 

f.  56c.   Dieu!  tant  est  Beaumanoir  marry  et  courrouchi^s,  375 

S'ilz  ne  sunt  departis  k  honte  et  k  vieultez. 
A  yceste  parole  est  Charuel  lev6s 
Et  le  vaillant  Tritran,  qui  moult  estoit  blechiers, 
Caron  de  Boscdegas,  le  preux  et  Talos^s; 

Toux  (trois)  estoient  prisonniers  k  Bomcbourc  le  dev^s;  380 

Mais  quant  Bourcbourc  fu  mort  ilz  furent  raquitez. 
Chacun  prent  k  (s)ses  poings  le  bon  branc  acherez; 
De  ferir  sur  Englois  ont  bonnez  volentez. 

XXXI 

A  pres  la  mort  Bomcbourc,  le  hardy  combatant, 
-^^  Fu  grande  la  bataille  et  ly  estour  pesant,  385 

Et  le  chappie  orible  et  merveilleux  et  grant. 
Apres  [y]  demoura  dam  Crucart  I'Alemant 
Et  Thomas  Belifort  y  fu  comme  g(u)6ant, — 
Cil  combatoit  d'un  mail  d'achier  qui  fu  pesant — 
(Et)  Hue  de  Carvalay  sy  en  faisoit  autant.  390 

Messire  Robert  Canole,  qui  fu  mal  engingnant, 
Et  toux  leurs  compaignons  et  chacun  ensuivant. 
Alemans  et  Englois  s'e[n]  vont  toux  effroiant 
Et  dient,  "Venjons  Bomcbourc,  nostre  loial  amant! 
Metton  toux  k  ]a  mort,  n'alon  riens  espargnant!  395 

La  journ^e  sera  nostre  ains  le  soleil  couchant!" 
Mais  Beaumanoir  le  noble  leur  fu  au  vis  devant, 
Lui  et  sez  compaignons  que  il  parama  tant; 
L^  commencha  un  chappie,  moult  cruel  et  (moult)  dolent, 

369.  MerUn]  Meslin. 

106 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  61 

[DiDOT  MS] 
XXX 

Or  voyent  les  Anglois  que  Brambroc  est  passes 
Et  Tourgouil  de  luy  chet,  et  la  grande  fiert^s.  390 

Adonc  paria  Contart,  ung  Al[e]ment  dev^s, 
''Seigneurs,  saich^s  de  vroy,  c'est  fine  Veritas, 
Failly  nous  a  Brambroc  qui  cy  nous  a  mein^s; 
Tous  les  livres  Merlin,  que  il  a  tant  ajon^s, 

Ne  luy  ont  pas  valu  ung  denier  monnoy^s;  396 

II  gist  goule  bay^e,  mort  tout  plat  en  ces  pr^s. 
Sy  vous  pry,  bons  Anglois,  comme  gents  remembr^s, 
Ten^s  vous  Tung  h  I'aultre  estroictement  serr^s; 
Cil  qui  viendra  sur  nous,  qu'il  soit  mort  ou  bleci4s." 
Ainsin  le  firent  ilz  comme  gents  bien  sen4s.  400 

Dieu!    tant  est  Beaumanoir  marry  et  courrouc^s 
S'ilz  ne  sont  departiz  h  honte  et  k  vilt4s. 
Et  k  ceste  paroUe  est  Charruel  lev^s 
Et  le  vaillant  Tristan,  qui  ot  est4  bleeps, 

Caro  de  Bodegat,  le  preux  et  le  sen^s;  406 

Ceulx  estoint  prisoniers  k  Brambroc  le  dev^s; 
Mais  quant  il  estoit  mort  ilz  furent  aquitt^s. 
Ceulx  prindrent  o  les  poings  les  brancs  bien  acier^s; 
De  ferir  sur  Anglois  ont  bone  voulunt^s. 

XXXI 

A  mpres  la  mort  Brambroc,  le  hardy  combatant,  410 

-^^  Fust  grande  la  bataille  et  ly  estour  pesant 
Et  le  chappie  horrible  et  merveilleux  et  grant. 
Pour  Brambroc  demoura  dom  Contart  TAlemant, 
Thomelin  Beliffart  qui  fust  comme  ung  g^ant, — 
Cil  combatoit  d'ung  maill  d'acier  qui  fust  pesant —  416 

Rippeffart,  Cavalray,  ceulx  cy  faisoint  autant; 
Messire  Robin  CroU^s,  qui  fust  mal  engignant, 
f.  7v.     Et  tous  leurs  compaignons  et  chascun  ensuivant. 
Alemans  et  Anglois  s'en  vont  tous  efforcent, 

Disant,  "Vengon  Brambroc,  nostre  loyal  amant!  420 

Metton  tous  a  la  mort,  n'alons  nulz  espargnant! 
La  journ^e  est  nostre  avant  souleil  couchant!" 
Mais  Beaumanoir  le  noble  leur  fust  bien  au  devant, 
Luy  et  ses  bons  Bretons  que  il  parayma  tant, 
Et  commencza  bataille,  cruelle  et  pesant,  425 

418,  et]  de. 

107 


62  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

Qu'(e)  un  quart  de  lieue  entour  en  va  retentissant  400 

Des  coupx,  qui  s'entredonnent  sur  leurs  testez,  moult  grant; 
L^  mourru  deux  Englois  et  un  bon  Alemant 
Et  d'Ardaine  de  Rains,  ly  convert  soudoiant, 
Fu  mort  et  abatu  ens  en  pr6  verdoiant. 

Aussy  Giufifroy  Poulart  gesoit  trestout  dormant,  405 

Et  Beaumanoir  blechi^,  le  hardy  combatant; 
Se  Jhesucrist  n'en  pense,  le  pere  tout  puissant, 
f.  57r.   Et  d'un  cost6  ne  d'aultre  nul  n'en  est  eschapant. 

XXXII 

Grande  fu  la  bataille  et  longement  dura 
Et  le  chappie  orrible  et  dechi  et  del^;  410 

Ce  fu  (k)  un  semmedy  que  le  soleil  roia, 
L'an  mil  trois  cent  cinquante,  croie  m'ent  qui  vouldra; 
Le  dimence  d'apres,  sainte  egUse  chanta 
Letare  Jherusalem.    En  yce  saint  temps  1^ 

Forment  se  combatoient,  Tun  I'autre  n'espargna;  415 

La  chaleur  fu  moult  grande,  chacun  sy  tressua; 
De  sueur  et  de  sane  la  terre  rosoya. 
A  ce  bon  semmedy  Beaumanoir  sy  jeuna; 
Grant  soif  oust  le  baron,  k  boire  demanda. 

Messire  Giuffroy  de  Bonds  tantost  respondu  a,  420 

"Boif  ton  sane,  Beaumanoir,  la  soif  te  passera! 
Ce  jour  aron  honneur,  chacun  sy  gaignera 
Vaillante  renoum^e,  ja  blasm6(e)  ne  sera." 
Beaumanoir  le  vaillant  adonc  s'esvertua; 

Tel  deul  oust  et  tel  yre  que  la  soif  luy  passa.  425 

Et  d'un  cost  (r)  6  et  d'aultre  le  chappie  commensa; 
Mors  furent  ou  blechiez,  gaieres  n'en  eschappa. 

XXXIII 

Tj^orte  fu  la  bataille  et  le  chappie  mortel 

^    My-voie  de  Jossehn  et  du  chasteau  (da)  Pelmel. 

Dedens  un  moult  beau  pr6,  s^ant  sur  un  cenel,  430 

Le  chesne  d'en  My-voie,  ainsi  est  son  appel. 

Le  lone  d'un  genestay  qui  estoit  vert  et  bel, 

L^  furent  lez  Englois  tretoux  en  un  moncel, 

Carvalay  le  vaillant,  le  hardy  jovencel, 

403,  d'Ardaine  de  Rains]  d'Ardaine  da  derains;    403,  convert]  conuett;    412,  trois 
cent]  ccc. 

108 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  63 

[DiDOT  MS] 

Que  une  lieue  entour  va  tout  restondissant, 

Des  coups  qu'ilz  s'entredonent  1^  fut  le  son  tres  grant; 

Lors  mourust  deux  Anglois,  pour  voir,  et  ung  Alment. 


Beaumanoir  fut  bleci^  ou  visaige  devant 

Et  fust  Geffroy  Poulart  abatu  tout  dormant;  430 

Si  Jhesucrist  ne  pense,  le  roy  tout  puissant, 

Ne  d'ung  coust6  ne  d'aultre  ne  va  nul  eschappant. 

XXXII 

jpt^rande  fut  la  bataille  et  longuement  dura 

^^  Et  le  chappie  horrible  et  decza  et  del^; 

Ce  fut  ung  sabmedi  que  le  souleil  raya,  435 

L'an  mil  trois  cent  cinquante,  corrige  qui  vouldra, 

Le  dimenche  devant  que  saincte  eglise  chanta 

Letare  Jherusalem.    En  icest  sainct  temps  1^ 

La  chalour  fut  moult  grande,  chascun  y  tressuya. 

Que  le  sang  tout  vermoil  sur  son  corps  desgoutta.  440 

Quant  soeff  ot  Beaumanoir,  k  boire  demanda. 

Messire  Geffroy  du  Boys  tantost  respondu  I'a, 

"Boy  ton  sang,  Beaumanoir,  ta  soiff  te  passera! 

Ce  jour  est  la  journ^e  que  chascun  gaignera 

Honeur  et  renomm^e,  ou  defin^  sera."  445 

Beaumanoir  le  vaillant  adonc  s'evertua; 

Tiel  deul  eust  et  tiel  ire  que  la  soeff  luy  passa. 

Et  d'ung  coust§  et  d'aultre  la  chappie  commencza; 

Trestous  furent  bleci^s,  guaires  n'en  demoura. 


XXXIII 

Grande  fut  la  bataille  et  le  chappie  mortel  450 

X.  w, .  Mye-voie  de  Jocelin  k  chasteau  Ploearmel. 

Dedans  ung  moult  beau  plain,  plants  y  a  chenel, 
L^  fut  don6  maint  coup  de  hache  et  de  martel, 


436,  trois  cent  cinquante]  cccl;  438,  icest]  itest;  446,  s'evertua]  se  vertua. 

109 


64  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

Et  Thoumas  Belifort  combatoit  d'un  martel, —  435 

Cil  qu'il  ataint  k  coup  dessus  son  hasterel 
Jamais  ne  mengera  de  miche  ne  de  gastel. 
Beaumanoir  lez  regarde,  k  qui  point  n'en  fu  bel, 
Moult  grant  deul  a  de  voir  devant  luy  tel  jouel; 
For(men)t  fu  desconfort^,  or  luy  aist  Saint  Michiel.  440 

f.  57 V.   Messire  Giuffroy  de  Bou^z,  qui  fu  fort  et  ysnel, 
Noblement  le  conforte  com  gentil  demoisel 
Et  dit,  "Gentil  baron,  voiez  cy  Charuel 
[Et]  Tintinlat  le  bon  et  Robin  Raguenel 

Guillaume  de  La  Marche  et  Olivier  Arel  445 

Et  Gui  de  Rochefort, — voiez  son  pennoncel. 

N*y  a  cellui  qui  n'ait  lance,  esp6e  et  coutel; 

Toux  pres  sunt  d'eulx  combatre  com  gentil  joencel; 

Encore  feront  eulx  aux  Englois  doeul  nouvel." 


XXXIV 

Grande  fu  la  bataille,  jamais  tele  n'orr^s.  450 

Forment  se  contenoient  lez  Englois  aliez; 
Homme  n'entre  sur  eulx  ne  soit  mort  ou  blechiez; 
Toux  sunt  en  un  moncel  com  si  fussent  liez. 
De  Montauben  Guillaume,  le  preux  et  I'alos^s, 
De  I'estour  est  yssu  et  lez  a  regardez;  455 

Grant  courage  lui  print,  le  coeur  lui  est  enflez, 
Et  jure  Jhesucrist,  qui  en  crois  fu  pen^s, 
S'il  fust  sur  im  cheval  bien  mont6  k  son  gr^s, 
Tretoux  lez  departist  k  honte  et  k  vieultez. 

Bons  esperons  trenchans  lors  caucha  en  ses  piez,  460 

Monta  sur  un  cheval  qui  fu  de  grant  fiertez 
Et  lors  print  une  lance  dont  le  fer  fu  carrez; 
Semblant  fist  de  fuir,  ly  escuier  membrez. 
Beaumanoir  le  regarde,  puis  I'a  aroissonnez, 

Et  dyt,  "Amy  Guillaume,  qu'est  ce  que  vous  pens^s?  465 

Comme  faulx  et  mauvais,  comant,  vous  en  all^s  ? 
A  vous  et  k  vos  hoirs  vous  sera  repreuchiez." 
Quant  Guillaume  Fentent,  un  ris  en  a  gettez; 
A  haulte  vois  parla  que  bien  fu  escoutez: 

"Besoigniez,  Beaumanoir,  franc  chevalier  membrez,  470 

Car  bien  besoingneray;  ce  sunt  toux  mes  pens^s." 

454,  Montauben]  Mont  auben;  466,  courant]  comant(?);  467,  hoirs]  hoirez. 

110 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  65 

[DiDOT  MSI 


Missire  Geffroy  du  Boys,  qui  fut  fort  et  isgnel, 

Conforte  Beaumanoir  ou  nom  de  Sainct  Marcel  455 

Et  luy  dist,  "Noble  sire,  voy4s  cy  Charniel, 

Guillaume  de  la  Marche  et  Olivier  Arrel, 

Et  Tintiniac  le  bon  et  Robin  Raganel 

Et  Guy  de  Rochefort, — voiez  (cy)  son  panoncel — 

Et  Geffroy  de  la  Roche,  le  chevalier  nouvel.  460 

N'y  a  cil  qui  n'aet  lance,  ou  esp^e  ou  coutel; 

Tons  sont  prests  de  combatre  ou  nom  de  jouvencel; 

Encore  seront  ilz  aux  Anglois  deul  nouvel." 

XXXIV 

Grande  fut  la  bataille,  jamais  telle  n'orr^s. 
Fortement  se  tenoyent  les  Anglois  ali^s;  465 

Tretous  s'entretenoyent  si  come  gents  U4s; 
Homme  n'entre  sur  eulx  qui  n'est  mort  ou  bleci^s. 
Mais  grandement  les  a  Guillaume  reguard^s, 

Celuy  de  Montauban,  qui  tant  fust  alos^rs, 

Et  jure  Jhesucrist,  qui  fut  en  croys  penn^s,  470 

Que  s'il  fust  k  cheval  bien  mont6  k  ses  gr^s, 

II  les  despareroit  k  honte  et  k  vilt^s. 

Deus  esperons  poignans  a  chauss^s  en  ses  pi^s, 

Monte  sur  ung  cheval  qui  fut  de  grant  bont^s. 


Beaumanoir  le  reguarde,  qui  Ta  araisonn^s,  475 

Et  luy  a  dist,  "Guillaume,  quelles  sont  voz  pensers? 

Comme  faulx  et  traistre,  courant  vous  en  al^s; 

A  jamais  en  ta  vie  te  sera  reprouch^s." 

Et  Montauban  respont  par  moult  tres  grant  fiertes 

Et  haultement  parla,  qui  bien  fut  escoutes,  480 

"Besoign^s,  Beaumanoir,  franc  chevalier  menbr^s, 

Car  je  besoigner^;  et  telz  sont  mes  pensers." 

472  dispareroit]  dispararoit. 

Ill 


66  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

[Bigot  MS] 

Lors  broche  le  cheval  par  flans  et  par  cost^s 
Que  le  sane  tout  vermeil  en  chay  sur  lez  pr^s. 
f.  68r.   Par  lez  Englois  se  boute,  sept  en  a  trebuchiez; 

Au  retour  en  a  trois  soubz  lui  agravent^s.  475 

A  ce  coup  lez  Englois  furent  esparpilli^s; 

Toux  perdirent  lez  coeurs,  c'est  fine  Veritas, 

Qui  veult  y  a  choisy,  prins  et  serementez. 

Montauban  hault  parla  quant  lez  a  regard^s. 

"Montjoie!"  s'escria,  "barons,  or  y  fer^s!  480 

Essoins  vous  tretoux,  frans  chevaliers  membrez, 

Tintiniat  le  bon,  le  preux  et  Talos^s 

Et  Gui  de  Rochefort,  Charuel  Tamornez, 

Tretoux  nous  compaignons,  que  Dieu  croisse  [en]  bontez, 

Vengiez  vous  dez  Englois,  tous  k  vo(u)s  volentez!"  485 

XXXV 

Grande  fu  la  bataille  et  li  estour  planier; 
Tintiniat  le  bon  estoit  tout  le  premier, 
Celluy  de  Beaumanoir,  que  Ten  doibt  renommer, 
Que  toux  jours  pour  ce  fait  orra  on  de  lui  parler, 
Dez  Englois  ont  eii  la  force  et  lez  po(o)stez.  v'     490 

Ly  im  sunt  fianci^,  ly  aultre  prisonnier; 
Canole  et  Carvalay  sy  sunt  en  grant  dangler 
Et  Thoumas  Belifort  n'y  oust  que  courouchier 
Et  toux  leurs  compaignons,  sans  point  de  Tatargier. 
Par  r(e)  emprise  Bomcbourc,  qui  estoit  fort  et  fier.  495 

Messire  Jehan  Plansanton,  Ridele  le  guerrier, 
H[u]ellecoq  son  frere  ne  fait  k  oublier, 
Rippefort  le  vaillant  et  d'lllande  le  fier 
Au  chasteau  Josselin  sunt  men^s  sans  targier. 

Et  pour  ceste  bataille  orrois  souvent  parler,  500 

Car  Ten  soit  lez  vieulx  dis  et  tout  par  romnander, 
Ly  ims  par  lettre  escripte  ou  painte  en  tappichi^s, 
Par  trestoux  lez  roiaulmez  qui  sunt  de  chi  la  men 
Et  s'en  vouldront  esbatre  maint  gentil  chevalier 
Et  mainte  noble  dame  qui  moult  a  le  vis  cler,  505 

Comment  Ten  soit  d'Artus  et  de  Charlez  le  ber, 
f.  582;.   De  Guillaimae  au  cornair,  Roulant  et  Olivier; 
De  cy  h  trois  cens  ans  en  vouldront  roumander 
(De)  la  bataille  dez  trente  qui  fu  faicte  sans  per. 

479,  Montauban]  Mont  auban;  489,  toux]  tour. 

112 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  67 

[DiDOT  MS] 

Lors  heurta  le  cheval  par  flancs  et  par  cost^s, 

Que  le  sang  tout  vermoil  en  sailloit  par  les  pr^s. 

Ampres  print  une  lance  dont  le  fer  fust  carr^s;  485 

Par  Anglois  se  bouta,  sept  en  a  trebusch^s; 

Au  retour  en  a  trois  et  lietz  k  ses  detz. 

A  ce  coup  les  Anglois  furent  desconfit^s. 


113 


68  Henry  Raymond  Brush 


G 


[Bigot  MS] 
XXXVI 
rande  fu  la  bataille,  certez  n'en  doubtez  mie;  510 


Englois  sunt  desconfis,  qui  vouldrent  par  envie 

Avoir  sur  lez  Bretons  post6  et  seigneurie; 

Mais  tretout  leur  orgueil  touma  en  grant  folie. 

Sy  pry  k  celluy  Dieu,  qui  nasqui  de  Marie, 

Pour  toux  ceulx  qui  furent  en  celle  compaignie,  515 

Soient  Bretons  ou  Englois, — partout  Dieu  en  deprie, 

Au  jour  de  jugement  que  dampnez  ne  soient  mie. 

Saint  Michiel,  Gabriel,  ee  jour  leur  soit  (en)  aie; 

Or  en  ditez,  "amen,"  tretoux,  que  Dieu  Toctrie! 

Cy  fine  la  bataille  de  trente^  Englois  et  de  trente^  Bretons  qui  fu  faite 
em  Bretaigne,  I'an  de  grace  mil  trois  cens  cinquante,  le  senunedy  devant  letare 
Jherusalem. 

519,  octrie]  octroie. 

1  trente]  xxx;  *  trente]  xxx. 


114 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  69 

[DiDOT  MS] 
XXXV 

Grande  fut  la  bataille  en  my  la  prayerie; 
Mercy  au  roy  des  roys,  qui  nacquist  de  Marie;  490 

Anglois  sont  desconfitz,  qui  vouloyent  par  lourdie 
Avoir  sur  les  Bretons  puissance  et  seignourie; 
Mais  toute  leur  pens^e  tourna  en  grant  follie. 
Si  prie  celuy  Dieu,  qui  tout  a  en  baillie, 

Pour  tous  ceulx  qui  y  furent,  pour  yceulx  le  deprie,  495 

Qu'ilz  ayent  de  paradis  la  pardurable  vie; 
Au  jour  du  jugement  que  dampn^s  ne  soint  mye. 
Sainct  Michel,  Gabriel,  leur  soy^s  en  aye; 
Or  en  dirons  "amen,"  chascun  que  Dieu  Tottrie! 
Explicit  la  bataille  de  trante. 


115 


70  Henry  Raymond  Brush 


NOTES  TO  THE  TEXT 

Da,  haneretz  chevaliers;  B2,  bannerols  bachelers.  The  tenn  bannerets  was 
ordinarily  used  with  chevaliers  to  indicate  a  chevalier  of  some  distinction.  In 
turn  chevalier  is  of  greater  distinction  than  bacheler.    Cf . : 

"L'ordre  de  banneret  est  plus  que  chevaliers, 
Comme  apres  chevalier  acconsuit  bachelier." 

— Les  chevaliers  bannerets  (Pieces  rel.  k  I'histoire  de  France, 
XII,  437). 

A  chevalier  banneret  was  one  "qui  avait  assez  de  vassaux  pour  en  composer  une 
compagnie  et  lever  banni^re"  (cf .  Godef .  Supp.) .  On  banneret,  cf .  Romania  XXXII, 
181-84  (A.  Thomas).  The  word  is  first  used  in  the  Coutumes  de  Beauvoisis  (ed. 
Salmon,  sec.  1242).  The  bacheler  were  a  yoimger  and  secondary  degree  of  knight- 
hood (cf.  Lacroix,  La  Vie  Militaire,  p.  48).  It  is  surprising  to  see  the  expression 
bannerois  bachelers,  though  Gautier  {La  Chevalerie,  Paris,  1884,  p.  192)  quotes 
illustrations  from  the  Charroi  de  Nimes  (23-25)  and  P arise  la  Duchesse  (1522)  to 
show  that  a  bachelier  might  also  be  a  chevalier.  Cf.  also  W.  A.  Stowell  in  Studies 
in  Honor  of  A.  M.  Elliott,  Baltimore,  1911,  Vol.  I,  pp.  225-36. 

B4. — menestreelx:  Picard  form  for  menesterelx. 

DB7. — vroye,  vraie:  Bartsch  avoids  hiatus  of  feminine  e  in  histoire  by 
writing  veraye.    However,  hiatus  is  fairly  common  in  the  Bataille. 

— clergons,  clarjons.  According  to  Godefroy  (q.v.)  the  word  is  still  used  in 
Poitou  in  the  sense  of  "choir  boy." 

D17. — raison  voils  vtieil  rendre:  MS  has  tendre  but  rendre  raison  is  found  as  late 
as  the  seventeenth  century  (cf .  Pascal,  Pensees,  X,  ed.  Havet;  Corneille,  Sertorius, 
V,2). 

D20. — ammes;  MS  ames.  This  sign  (-),  used  by  the  Didot  scribe,  invariably 
indicates  m  when  placed  over  a  vowel  before  m.  The  form  ammes  occurs  in  a 
document  of  1268  of  Chaumont  (Loir  et  Cher) ;  cf .  Godefroy,  Supp.  s.v. 

B20. — quer  (qua  re)  in  accented  position.  Schwan-Behrens  (8th  ed.  sect. 
52,  1,  a)  calls  quer  a  crossing  of  quare  and  que. 

BD21. — Bartsch  writes  du  siecle  devie,  which  receives  justification  as  devi6 
(devitare).  In  both  MSS  it  is  2  syl.  (cf.  oubli6  [oblitare]  D27,  B28).  The 
couplet  in  -ie  (B22-23)  does  not  belong  in  the  laisse.  B23  is  not  in  D  and  seems 
an  interpolation.  The  correct  reading  is  undoubtedly  that  of  D,  thus  removing 
all  inconsistency  in  the  laisse. 

DB22. — Aulray,  Auray.  In  Breton,  Abrac;  today  chef  Ueu  of  canton,  d^pt. 
Morbihan,  arr.  L'Orient.    According  to  Le  Baud,  the  founder  was  King  Arthur. 

D24. — certen.  A  Francian  form  (cf.  Metzke,  65,  p.  59)  Bartsch  alters  to 
certein. 

B26. — menues  gens  de  ville  is  impossible,  for  the  article  is  needed  and  even  as 
it  stands  the  hemistich  makes  menues  dissyllabic.  D26  is  correct.  Gens  here 
"personnes";  cf.  other  examples  in  Godefroy,  s.v. 

D28 — B29. — pour  luy  demoure:  i.e.,  "has  remained  in  his  place."  The  idiom 
demourer  pour  qqn.  is  used  in  the  fourteenth  century  as  se  porter  garant  pour  qqn. 
(cf.  Godefroy  for  examples  from  Froissart  and  Perceforest).    The  sense  in  the 

116 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  71 

text  seems  not  so  much  the  idea  of  going  bail  for  Daggeworth  as  that  of  standing 
in  his  place  to  make  good  his  promises. 

D31. — Ploedrmel  (Lat.,  Plamelium),  mod.  Ploermel,  Breton,  Plou-Arthmael. 
The  city  honors  as  its  founder  St.  Arthmael,  an  Anglo-Saxon  monk,  who 
traversed  Bretagne  on  his  way  to  the  court  of  King  Childebert.  Plou,  "people" 
(Breton)  (cf.  A.  J.  C. Hare;  Northwestern  France,  London,  1904,  p.  223,  note).  B 
writes  Pelmel  incorrectly.  The  word  is  always  three  syllables  in  Froissart  (cf. 
ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  III,  368;  IV,  166;  V,  289,  292,  etc.,  and  in  the  Livre  du 
Ion  due  Jehan,  11.  946,  3757,  ed.  Charriere. 

D35— B36.— messire;  two  syUables;  cf.  D150,  187,  191,  380,  etc.;  B108, 
146,  150,  293,  etc.;  sire  is  also  found  as  a  monosyllable,  D328;  but  dissyllabic, 
B72,  236. 

Jehan:  here  dissyllabic  as  in  D328  (cf.  Reis,  Die  Sprache  des  Livre  du  bon 
Jehan,  due  de  Bretagne,  Erlangen,  1903,  p.  14);  as  a  monosyllable,  D191;  B150, 
293,  495.  Both  sire  and  messire  are  terms  of  respect,  the  latter  being  used 
only  with  nobles  of  highest  rank  (cf.  Stowell,  Old  French  Titles  of  Respect, 
Baltimore,  1908,  pp.  202  and  221). 

veoir,  seurt6:  the  pretonic  e  has  no  metrical  value.  It  begins  to  disappear 
about  this  time,  though  diaeresis  is  found  in  the  poems  of  Christine  de  Pizan  (cf . 
Mod.  Phil,  July,  1908). 

D37. — chetiffz:  a  final  v  becomes  vf  and  is  written  ff  in  the  west.  Examples 
of  this  are  frequent  in  the  Livre  (cf.  hrieff,  14,  986,  1514;  chetiffs,  3454;  neuff, 
658,  etc ).  According  to  Reis  (op.  dt.,  p.  30)  these  doubled  consonants  were 
pronounced.    Cf.  also  in  the  Bataille,  heuffs,  40;  soutiff,  74. 

D39. — ainsin:  this  form  is  attested  by  rime  in  the  Livre  (cf.  11.  359,  583, 
1201,  etc.).  The  nasal  pronunciation  was  long  current  as  attested  by  Baif  and  H. 
Estienne  (cf.  Thurot,  II,  498  and  Reis,  op.  dt.,  p.  47).    Bartsch  wrote  ainsi. 

B39. — en  chesp;  MS  un  chesp.    Buchon  and  Crapelet  also  correct  to  en. 

D46. — de  ceulx  ( ?),  B47,  de  quay  is  the  correct  reading. 

D48 — B49. — are,  erS:  the  feminine  arie  is  more  common =ferre  labourSe, 
i.e.,  "ploughed  land."  Cf.  "de  opere  rm-ah,  id  est  arato  vel  vinea  vel  sectione, 
messione."  ....  Du  Cange,  Glossaire,  I,  353.  Prof.  Foerster  in  ZrP,  XXIX, 
4  ff.,  quotes  this  passage  and  says  "kann  nur  Ackerland,  Acker,  bedeuten."  Cf. 
also  G,  Paris,  Romania  XIII,  130. 

D49. — flayeul:  eul  for  el  is  regular  in  the  northwest,  e.g.,  qualem  queu  with 
corresponding  fem.  queule.  Cf .  Vocahulaire  du  Haute-Maine,  quoted  by  Goerlich, 
Rom.  Stud.,  V.  17. 

Dsob. — It  is  possible  that  the  scribe  confused  with  the  idiom  avoir  costume. 
B51  has  the  smoother  reading. 

D52. — Bartsch  interpolates  il  unnecessarily. 

D56. — Bartsch  writes  se  for  sy;  both  MSS  are  plain. 

DB57. — Saint  Mahe:  "ville  et  abb6  de  Finistere  a  la  pointe  Saint-Mathieu," 
mentioned  also  by  Cuvelier,  Bertrand  du  Guesclin,  1. 18720  and  in  Roman  d'Aquin, 
1.  2153  (ed.  F.  Jouon  des  Longrais,  Nantes,  1880,  in  Soc.  d.  Bibliophiles  bretons). 

D59. — haul:  Bartsch  writes  baut  (!) 

117 


72  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

D67 — B66. — Proverbs  of  similar  tenor  on  boasting  are  to  be  found  listed  by 
A.  Kadler  {Ausg.  u.  Abhand.,  XLIX,  84-85).     Cf.  D76-77. 

D72 — B71. — The  combat  is  thus  to  determine  who  is  in  the  right,  not  who  is 
the  stronger.  That  it  was  so  intended  is  confirmed  by  the  mass  attended  by  the 
Bretons  (cf .  D229,  B190) ;  one  notes  the  omission  of  this  act  on  the  part  of  the 
English.  Whether  the  author  makes  this  omission  intentionally,  to  give  us  the 
idea  that  the  latter  did  not  receive  the  blessing  of  God,  cannot  be  said.  Such 
masses  were  usually  said  before  judicial  combat  (cf.  L.  Gautier,  La  Chevalerie, 
42-44). 

D73-106. — Laisse  V  of  D  is  omitted  from  B.  It  contains  exactly  33  lines, 
the  regular  number  contained  in  a  page  of  B,  so  that  the  scribe  has  evidently 
omitted  one  page  in  copying,  or,  it  may  be,  he  copied  from  a  MS  which  omitted 
it.  The  correspondance  of  D  and  B  begins  with  D107 — B73;  B72,  which  con- 
tains Brambro's  acceptance,  is  not  found  in  D  and  may  be  an  interpolation  by 
the  scribe  who  was  conscious  of  a  lacuna. 

D78. — Pierres  Angier:  the  man  and  the  event  referred  to  have  not  been 
identified.  The  chronicles  contain  no  mention  of  them  or  of  a  place  named 
Ambissat  (1.  81).  D'Argentr6  (op.  ciL,  p.  299)  calls  him  "Pierre  Bigier"  and  the 
place  "Boussac";  a  town  of  this  name  is  in  lUe-et-Vilaine  (arr.  St.  Malo). 

D85. — Bartsch  writes  grans. 

Dpi. — I  have  preferred  to  write  this  line  vueille  ayder  rather  than  viieille  ayder 
as  cases  of  undoubted  hiatus  in  the  poem  are  sufficiently  frequent  to  justify  it; 
aide  (B185)  is  undoubtedly  to  be  written  without  diaeresis  and  likewise  in  D114 
if  we  write  quie)  il  there.  Still  we  find  aide.subside  in  the  fifteenth  century  (cf. 
Godefroy,  s.v.)  and  according  to  Reis  (op.  dt.,  p.  14)  a+i  is  frequent  in  the 
Livre  both  as  one  and  two  syllables.     Cf.  pais  (DB30). 

Dioo. — ahatre:  it  simplified  to  t.  The  process  is  frequent  in  the  Ldvre  (cf. 
batre,  11.  507,  508,  1133). 

D103. — ordrenner:  Bartsch  writes  ordenner. 

Jocelin;  dept.  Morbihan,  arr.  Ploermel.     The  place  owes  its  name  to 

the  castle  built  by  Jocelin  de  Porhoet  and  is  mentioned  by  Froissart  (ed.  K.  de 
Lettenhove,  XXIV,  385). 

B72. — je  le  vous  fiant :  tioTts(z). 

D108. — Bartsch  writes  loyaulmens;  MS  has  loyaulmet. 

Bartsch  has  feroint:  seroint. 

Duo. — Bartsch  writes  doutz  (douze).  The  MS  reading  is  plain  and  the 
emendation  does  not  improve  the  sense. 

D110-112. — These  important  lines  are  lacking  in  B  and  give  the  justification 
for  Guillaume  de  Montauban's  seemingly  unknightly  act  (cf.  D470-489;  B454- 
476)  which  brought  about  the  discomfiture  of  the  English.  This  matter  provided 
material  for  discussion  for  the  historians,  none  of  whom,  till  recently,  were  acquainted 
with  the  Didot  version  (cf.  Pitre-Chevalier,  op.  dt.,  p.  385;  also  La  Borderie,  op. 
cU.,  p.  514,  n.  5). 

D113 — B76. — Both  MSS  corrupted,  D  badly  so:  voit  (B),  voinKviNciT;  cf. 
Vers  de  la  Mort,  ed.  Wulfif  and  Walberg,  Str.  25,  11. 

118 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  73 

D114. — Bartsch  writes  Qu'il  en  as  in  B77. 

B82-83 . — D  has  much  the  smoother  reading  for  this  passage.  For  the  phrase 
mestier  n'y  a  ceUe,  cf.  Florence  de  Rome,  11.  1662,  3731,  4945. 

B86. — demourance  (MS  doubtance,  which  makes  the  hemistich  one  syl. 
short);  cf.  D124;  the  copyist  was  misled  by  B92. 

Bpsa. — Is  hypermetric;  D132  probably  represents  the  correct  reading. 

B94. — Plaisance.  The  particular  town  cannot  be  identified.  Froissart 
mentions  three  places  of  this  name,  none  of  which  seems  likely  to  be  the  Plaisance 
of  the  Bataille  (cf.  Oeuvres,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  IX,  550;  XVIII,  368;  XVIII, 
463).  It  may  be  noted  that  the  name  is  a  common  one  in  the  Diet,  des  Communes 
by  Gindre  de  Mancy.  No  less  than  six  are  located  in  the  west:  (1)  Loire- 
Inf^rieure;  (2)  Loiret;  (3)  Loiret;  (4)  Loiret;  (5)  Maine-et-Loire;  (6)  La  Manche. 

Bpsff. — F.:  reads  very  roughly  and  is  probably  corrupt;  the  Didot  version  is 
much  clearer  and  more  satisfactory.  B95  reads  barons,  which  may  be  due  to  the 
influence  of  B102.    The  rime  requires  bacheliers  as  in  D134. 

DX29. — Bartsch  reads  movlt  grande. 

D132. — If  the  line  is  correct  we  have  a  case  of  the  loss  of  final  feminine  e 
after  two  consonants  in  royaulme.  Such  a  loss  is  without  parallel  in  the  Bataille. 
Possibly  B  represents  the  correct  reading  here.     Bartsch  reads  el  royavlme. 

Bio3.—pren  [dray]:  cf.  B114. 

B106. — F[v]on;  MS  Yon.  For  the  oblique  case,  cf.  Cuvelier,  Bertrand,  1. 
13784.  Crapelet  suggests  Huon;  D  has  St.  Symon.  But  St.  Yves  was  a  popular 
Breton  saint  who  died  at  Lohanec,  May  19,  1303  (cf.  Benjoy,  La  vie  de  St.  Yves, 
tir^e  d^un  ms.  sur  velin  du  Z/F«.  sibcle,  St.  Brieuc,  1884.  reviewed  in  Bib.  Ec. 
C^artes,  XLVI[1885]);  cf.  also  D368;  B342. 

D138. — ransczons:  cz  for  s  is  common  in  the  northwest,  particularly  after  a 
nasal  (cf.  Ldvre,  1.  85;  D426,  435,  449).    See  also  Goerlich,  op.  cit.,  p.  64. 

D147. — Guillaum£  de  la  Lande:  confusion  with  the  squire  of  that  name;  cf. 
D177. 

B107. — Boscdegas,  Bodegat  (D146).  MS  has  Base  de  Gas  (as  also  Buchon). 
The  Picard  scribe  was  unfamiliar  with  the  name  and  confuses  with  the  Picard 
doublet  of  bois  which  is  bos(c). 

B108. — BoTibs;  D,  Boys;  Buchon,  Boves;  Crapelet,  Bones.  MS  writes  u 
plainly.  The  meter  demands  monosyllabic  value;  e=ai  here.  De  Courcy,  op. 
cit.,  p.  36,  states  that  the  name  is  written  Bouais  by  some  members  of  the  family. 

Biisb. — Two  syllables  short;  cf.  D155  for  correct  reading. 

D157. — Keranraes  for  Keranrais  (Bartsch,  Carramois);  ae  for  ai  is  frequent 
in  the  west  before  a  strong  sibilant;  cf.  faesmes  (D68),  faescons  (D219);  also 
Livre,  1545,  1547,  2603,  etc.  (Reis,  op.  cit.,  p.  18;  Goerlich,  op.  cit.,  p.  21). 

D159. — leurs;  MS  has  Ze«.  This  abbreviation  stands  for  both  singular  (cf. 
D189)  and  plural;  I  write  leurs  on  the  authority  of  D179,  where  the  word  is 
written  out. 

B118. — Lois  Guion;  MS  Lors;  Crapelet,  Lors;  Buchon,  Lots. 

119 


74  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

D163 — Bi32. — hoTiU,  Brice.  D  has  a  clearer  reading  (honU  here  "bravery"; 
cf.  Ren.  de  Montauban,  in  Bartsch-Horning,  p.  63,  1.  124).  De  Courcy,  op.  dt., 
p.  46,  mentions  an  Eudes  de  la  Roche  (also  named  Budes  and  quaUfied  as  hon 
pere)  who  as  crusader  accompanied  Baudouin,  count  of  Flanders,  to  the  siege  of 
Constantinople  and  to  Greece,  in  1204.  Members  of  the  la  Roche  family  occur 
as  dukes  of  Athens  in  the  thirteenth  century.  This  traditional  association  with 
Baudouin  may  have  led  the  Picard  scribe  to  assume  a  connection.  Beaumanoir 
also  refers  again  to  Geoflfroy's  father  (cf.  D353,  B328). 

D164 — B123. — Bartsch  writes  Constentinohle. 

D165 — B124. — The  completion  of  the  condition  (B126),  which  is  not  found 
in  D,  is  responsible  for  the  change  of  tense.  It  is  impossible  to  say  whether  the 
original  contained  this  condition. 

B125. — dont:  the  old  subjunctive:  a  stereotyped  phrase  (cf. /ScAioan-fie^rens, 
Sec.  353);  note  also  gart  (B143). 

Dx74 — B134. — luy:  in  laisse  with  mercy,  etc.  In  the  fourteenth  century  luy 
was  often  pronounced  li  (cf.  Meyer-Ltibke,  Hist.  Gram.  d.  frz.  Spr.,  Sec.  265). 

B128. — Trisguidy:  the  second  hemistich  is  two  syllables  short  in  MS  (cf. 
D168  which  has  the  correct  reading).  TrSzSguidy  is  the  proper  form;  cf.  Intro- 
duction, II. 

B129. — Poniblanc:  this  is  the  proper  form  of  the  name  (cf.  D.  Morice,  op. 
cU.,  p.  235;  De  Courcy,  op.  cit.,  p.  50;  D.  Lobineau,  op.  cit.,  X,  98  (p.  343). 

B130. — The  historians  agree  on  the  form  Du  Pare. 

D171 — B131. — Beaucours:  Beaucorps,  both  forms  of  the  name  are  known; 
cf .  Introduction,  II. 

D172. — Villong:  the  g  emphasizes  the  pronunciation  of  n  together  with 
a  guttural  (cf.  GoerUch,  op.  cit,  p.  62). 

D176-77. — ^The  second  hemistichs  are  reversed  from  the  order  in  B136-37. 

B142. — Neither  hemistich  is  metrically  correct,  probably  on  account  of  the 
scribe's  carelessness  (cf.  D183). 

D185. — encontre:  MS  has  honte  which  is  repeated  from  the  preceding  line. 
Possibly  we  should  also  read  tele  for  male  as  in  B144. 

B144. — envoit:  so  also  Bartsch  (1.  185).  The  old  subjunctive  again  as 
demanded  by  the  following  line.  Crapelet  notes,  '^avoit  ....  envoie."  We. 
might  also  read  a[n]voit. 

D188 — B147. — tart:  avoir  tart — "il  m'est  besoin."  It  will  be  remembered 
that  Brambro  was  short  of  men  since  he  had  to  fill  up  his  number  with  Germans 
and  Bretons. 

D189. — Je  ne  sgay  pa,s  lews  noma.  A  seeming  contradiction,  for  the  author 
proceeds  to  enimierate  them,  although  very  inaccurately.  B148  is  much  more  to 
the  point. 

D190. — Conchart  for  Crucart  (B149).  This  may  be  an  attempt  of  the  author 
to  twist  Crucart's  name  into  an  epithet.  Cf.  Contart,  D391,  413;  also  Huceton  le 
contort  (D205);  conchie  =  dupe  {Roman  de  la  Rose,  Bartsch,  Chrest.  St.  61, 1.  149). 

D192 — B151. — Huelcoc:  metrically  three  syllables.  Both  lines  are  incorrect 
metrically  in  the  MS.     It  is  accepted  that  Helecoq  (or  Huelcoc)  was  the  brother  of 

120 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  75 

Redoure  (Ridele) ;  cf .  De  Courcy  (op.  dt,  p.  65) ;  La  Borderie  (op.  cit.,  p.  515) 
although  D.  Morice  {op.  cit.,  p.  236)  apparently  indicates  the  contrary.  We 
should  perhaps  emend  by  placing  et  at  the  beginning  of  both  lines  and  also  begin 
the  second  hemistich  with  et  as  in  B.  The  name  occurs  again  in  B497  where  a 
similar  change  is  necessitated  by  the  meter.  The  scribe  may  well  have  omitted 
the  connective  which  occurs  several  times  in  the  passage.  Huelcoc  {Helecoq, 
Hillecoq)—Hue  le  Coq  (?). 

D195. — marc:  should  probably  read  quart  as  in  B154.  Godefroy  cites  marc 
as  a  weight  of  8  oz.,  serving  to  weigh  gold  and  silver. 

D197. — Huelcoq:  should  read  Huceton.  The  scribe  has  confused  the  Hne 
with  1.  192.    Cf.  D.  Morice,  op.  cit.,  p.  226. 

B1S9-160. — Agappart — Renouart.  B.  also  mentions  other  characters  of  the 
old  French  epic  in  11.  506-7.  Langlois  (Table  des  noma  propres)  cities  four  of  the 
name  Agappart.  The  combat  referred  to  here  is  recorded  in  Aliscans  (ed. 
Guessard),  pp.  180-84.  Renouart  or  Renouart  au  tinel,  the  son  of  Saracen  king 
Desrami  (in  Aliscans);  baptized,  he  fights  by  the  side  of  Guillaume  d'Orange 
against  the  Saracens. 

D200. — Renequin  Helcart;  the  second  hemistich  is  short  on^  syllable.  Pos- 
sibly the  Herouart  of  B  (cf.  D.  Morice  et  al.)  is  the  correct  reading. 

B168. — liespart:  2  syl.,  if  fu  is  correct.  We  may  read  as  in  D206,  but  the 
word  is  found  both  as  2  syl.  and  as  3  syl.  in  the  fourteenth  century  (cf .  forms  like 
liepart,  lepart,  lipart,  in  E.  Deschamps,  ed.  Soc.  Anc.  Textes,  X,  76).  The  s  is 
unetymological. 

D207 — B169. — St.  Lenart,  St.  Godart.  The  most  famous  saint  named 
Lenart  was  the  hermit  of  Micy  who  founded  the  monastery  of  Noblac  (Nobilia- 
cense)  in  Limousin,  four  miles  from  Limoges.  He  died  559  (?),  Saint's  Day, 
November  6.  (Cf.  U.  Chevalier,  Bio-Bihliographie,  Paris,  1907.)  He  preached 
the  gospel  in  central  France  (Berry).  There  are  also  three  other  saints 
from  this  locaUty  (cf.  Wetzer-Welte,  Katholisches  Kirchenlexikon,  2d  ed.,  art. 
"Leonhard"):  (1)  of  Vandreuve  (Vendoperense),  bishop  of  Le  Mans  (day,  Oct. 
15);  (2)  of  Dunois,  honored  in  bishopric  of  Blois  (day,  December  8);  (3)  abbot 
of  Celles  in  Berry  (day,  December  30).  St.  Leonard  of  Vandreuve  is  probably 
the  one  in  the  author's  mind,  but  very  likely  these  various  personages  were  more 
or  less  blended  into  one  in  the  popular  conception.  St.  Godard,  bishop  of  Rouen, 
b.  ca.  490,  d.  525  (day,  June  8).  He  is  the  natural  saint  for  a  Picard  scribe  to  have 
in  mind.  Cf.  Bolland,  Bib.  hag.  lat.  (1899),  p.  527.  His  life  is  found,  Gildardi 
Vita,  in  Analecta  Bollandiae,  Bruxelles,  Vol.  VIII  (1889),  pp.  393-402. 

D209. — Dagorne:  a  scribal  error  for  d'Ardaine  (D206). 

B173 — D212. — Dynart:  com.  of  Saint-Enogat  (Ille-et-Vilaine),  4  km.  from 
St.  Malo. 

D213. — moult  for  maint  (B174). 

D224. — santismes;  a-\-i  element  —a.  Goerlich,  op.  cit.,  p.  21,  quotes  similar 
instances  from  Anjou,  in  which  he  sees  only  the  learned  influence.  As  for  the  use 
of  the  plural  form,  see  K.  Tolle,  Das  Betheuern  u.  Beschworen  in  d.  altrom.  Poesie, 
Eriangen,  1883,  pp.  28-29. 

121 


76  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

D228 — B189. — lu,  luy:  the  luy  of  B  is  equivalent  to  lu  of  D  despite  the 
epelling. 

D2S2,—oultrage:  is  the  MS  reading.    But  cf.  296,  301. 

D238 — B199. — le  due  dehonaire,  i.e.,  Charles  de  Blois. 

D239 — B200. — la  franche  duchesae,  i.e.,  Jeanne  de  PenthiSvre,  daughter  of 
Gui  de  Bretagne. 

D248 — B209. — livres:  Ainsworth,  Bentley's  Miscellany,  V,  446,  refers  to 
these  as  an  illustration  of  illiteracy  on  Brambro's  part  and  suggests  that  they  are 
probably  mystical  characters  (!).  These  are  the  prophecies  ascribed  to  MerUn 
and  inserted  by  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth  in  the  Historia  Regum  Brit.  (cf.  A.  de  la 
Borderie,  Les  vMiabUs  propMties  de  Merlin;  examen  des  pohmes  hretons  attritmia  d 
ce  barde,  Paris,  1883;  rev.  by  G.  Paris,  Romania,  XII,  375-76  who  doubts  the 
authenticity  of  those  which  Borderie  accepts).  The  first  redaction  was  of  1135. 
Geoffrey's  work  was  continued  by  different  persons  at  various  times  and  enjoyed 
great  popularity,  particularly  in  the  fourteenth  century.  Cf .  Ward,  Cat.  of  Rom. 
in  Bnt.  Mus.,  I  (1883),  pp.  278-344.  A  Cambridge  MS  mentioned  by  P.  Meyer 
(Ro.,  XV,  295)  is  ascribed  to  the  time  of  Edward  III,  and  relates  to  the  times  of 
Henry  III  and  his  successors.  It  begins,  "Ici  comence  alcunes  de  les  propheties 
des  merveilles  de  Merlin,  dit  en  soun  temps  de  Engleterre,  etc."  On  MerUn  and 
his  alleged  prophecies  cf.  also  Brugger,  ZffzSL,  XXX,  210;  W.  E.  Mead,  MerUn, 
2  vols.,  E.E.T.S.,  London,  1899,  pp.  xlv.-xUx.;  Lucy  A.  Paton,  PMLA,  XXII, 
234-76;  Fletcher,  Arthurian  Material  in  the  Chronicles,  Harvard  Studies,  X. 
Mentions  in  contemporary  literature  are  frequent  (cf.  E.  Deschamps,  Oeuvres,  ed. 
Soc.  Anc.  Textes,  I,  106,  20;  II,  33,  222;  VI,  185;  XIII,  xiii.;  also  CuveUer, 
Bertrand  du  Guesclin,  ed.  Charri^re,  11.  3286-87,  3427,  6772,  10089. 

D254. — n'auront  ung  pii  d'avis;  B215. — pii  n'y  en  demourra  vis.  The  second 
hemistich  in  both  MSS  is  evidently  corrupted  and  presents  difficulty  which  I  am 
not  able  to  solve  with  certainty.  I  am  unfamiliar  with  an  idiom  pi6  d'avis  and 
can  find  no  parallel  for  it.  Avis,  meaning  "opinion,"  etc.,  is  regularly  spelled 
advis  by  the  scribe  of  D  (cf.  260,  274).  The  scribe  of  B  was  not  familiar  with 
the  expression  since  he  altered  it  to  give  the  meaning  "not  a  man  will  remain 
alive,"  in  which  pie  =  " man,"  a  figurative  sense  that  is  found  in  Froissart  (cf. 
onques  pi4s  n'en  escapa,  Oeuvres,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  IV,  306;  jamais  pies  n'en 
retoumera,  ibid.,  V,  46;  XI,  160).  Ne  ....  pie  exists  as  a  negative  construction 
(cf .  Godefroy),  though  apparently  not  with  ung  as  in  D.  A  possible  solution  is  to 
read  de  vis  for  d'avis.  The  sense  of  Brambro's  speech  would  then  be  "have  not  a 
chance  of  living"  (i.e.,  being  conquered,  their  fives  would  be  forfeited  unless 
Edward  saw  fit  to  put  them  to  ransom.  The  meaning  then  agrees  with  B.  Cf. 
also  Guardez  seignurs,  que  il  n'en  algent  vif,  Roland,  2061. 

B228. — Des  c'on  f[e]ist  (em)  bataille;  MS  desconfist.  The  fine  is  lacking  in  D 
possibly  because  it  was  already  corrupt  and  the  scribe  omitted  it  for  that  reason. 
Brambro  could  hardly  call  Beaumanoir  "discomfited  in  battle"  before  any  battle 
had  been  fought.  The  emendation  gives  the  sense  "as  soon  as  a  battle  was  to 
be  fought,  you  did  not  come  at  all  to  the  scratch,"  an  effective  taunt.  For  the 
idiom, /aire  bataille,  cf.  Rol.  3336;  f[e]ist  is  monosyllabic,  as  similarly  in  the  Livre. 
cf.  Reis,  op.  cit.,  p.  14. 

122 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  77 

D271 — B233. — Le  roy  de  Saint  Denis,  i.e.,  the  king  of  France,  so  styled  by 
the  English  who  maintained  Edward  Ill's  title  to  the  throne  (cf.  La  Borderie, 
op.  ciL,  III,  519,  n.  2).  Still,  this  title  was  also  used  by  the  French  themselves, 
as  Bertrand's  speech  shows  (cf.  CuveUer,  Bert,  du  Guesdin,  I,  238;  II,  285). 

D275. — liee:  should  possibly  be  replaced  by  membree  as  in  B237;  yet  Hie 
may  also  be  kept  as  the  expression  was  one  used  in  Francian  and  may  be  used 
either  with  or  without  reduction.  LiSe  is  regular  in  the  west,  though  the  lAvre 
has  both  lie  and  liie  in  rime  and  so  also  aillie  (cf.  D357,  B332)  which  Reis,  op.  cit., 
p.  40,  explains  as  due  to  the  fact  that  it  is  used  in  common  expression.  Otherwise 
the  reduction  of  He  to  ie  is  not  found  either  in  the  Bataille  or  in  the  lAvre. 

D279. — diges:  an  odd  form.  Dottin  et  Langouet,  Gloss,  du  Parler  de 
PUchdtel  (Canton  de  Bain,  Ille-et-Vilaine),  Rennes  et  Paris,  1901,  give  the  modem 
pronunciation  as  dizii.    Guill.  de  St.  Andre,  Livre  1302  has  diez. 

B246. — de  chi  la  mer  salie,  i.e.,  in  France.  Chamiel  is  the  best  warrior  of 
the  Breton  party  ("on  this  side  the  salt  sea"),  as  distinguished  from  the  English. 

D286. — Anoree;  B249. — Homourie.  Chevalier,  op.  cit.,  Usts  three  saints 
Honorata:  (1)  the  patroness  of  Bar-sur-Aube  (fifth  century);  (2)  martyred  at 
Carthage,  February  11,  304;  (3)  of  Pavia,  d.  January  11,  500.  Apparently  none 
of  these  have  any  significance  to  western  France.  It  is  quite  possible  that  there 
may  be  a  confusion  here  with  St.  Henore,  or  Anora  as  La  Borderie  calls  her,  who 
is  famous  in  Brittany.  She  was  the  wife  of  an  Irish  prince  who  came  to  Brittany 
in  the  early  part  of  the  sixth  century  and  who  is  known  as  St.  Efflam.  Their 
shrine  is  at  Plestin  (C6tes-du-Nord).  Chevalier  quotes  a  work  upon  her,  viz., 
Miorcec  de  Kerdanet,  Notice  sur  S'.  Honore  de  Lesneven,  Brest,  1853.  For  the 
romantic  story  of  Efflam  and  Anora,  see  La  Borderie,  op.  cit.,  I,  361-62,  and  the 
Vita  S.  Enflami,  in  Annates  de  Bretagne,  VII,  289. 

D294. — Voyez  que  dist  Charruel:  meter  correct  if  Charruel  is  dissyllabic, 
though  regularly  trissyllabic  elsewhere  in  the  poem  (cf.  144,  283,  324,  403). 
B257  has  the  fine  metrically  correct  but  Voyez  Id  does  not  go  well  with  the  sense 
of  the  following  lines.  D  probably  represents  the  correct  reading  despite  the 
metrical  value  of  Charruel.  Reductions  of  U-\-I  to  U  are  common  in  the  N.W. 
dialects  to  the  present  day.  Goerlich,  op.  cit.,  p.  57,  gives  illustrations  from 
Anjou  and  Maine.  They  are  frequent  also  as  attested  by  rime  in  the  Livre  (cf. 
Reis,  op.  cit.,  p.  43). 

D296. — de:  required  by  the  sense.  The  et  of  the  MS  is  probably  a  scribal 
error  due  to  the  et  of  the  preceding  line. 

D300. — gientz.  Goerlich,  op.  cit.,  pp.  28-29,  calls  attention  to  the  readiness 
of  E  to  become  IE  after  g  in  the  departments  of  Morbihan,  Loire-Inf6rieure,  and 
C6tes-du-Nord  (no  examples  in  Ille-et-Vilaine).  A  similar  i  appears  after  c  in 
Anjou,  Maine,  and  Berry. 

B267-68. — mie:  the  repetition  of  the  rime  mie  suggests  an  interpolation. 
The  sense  does  not  require  these  Hues  and  they  are  wanting  in  D. 

B275b.— Is  hypermetric;  cf.  D313. 

D321. — non:  <  (necunu) — "pas  un."  Godefroy  quotes  similar  examples. 
fehle  (<Flebilem),  feihle,  fehle,  not  foible,  as  would  be  expected.  Norman  and 
Western  French,  cf.  Schwan-Behrens,  no.  225A.    The  I  of  B287  is  learned. 

123 


78  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

B295. — piis  (pejus);  monosyllabic.  Cf.  pies,  Rom.  de  Rou,  ed.  Andresen 
6937,  7289,  and  peix,  Greg.  pap.  Horn.  ed.  Hoffman,  p.  123.  Cf .  Aliis,  Charte  of 
lUe-et-Vilaine  of  1294,  Schwan-Behrens,  p.  287. 

D308-10 — B271-73. — The  names  of  some  of  the  most  important  Breton 
families  of  the  period  and  representative  of  the  whole  duchy.  Save  Quintin,  the 
names  occur  frequently  in  Cuvelier  and  in  the  Livre.  In  the  latter  (11.  427-28) 
Laval,  Montfort,  and  Rohan  occur  together  as  leaders  of  the  nobility.  Gui  X  de 
Laval,  Loh^ac,  Rohan,  Toumemine,  and  Quintin  are  mentioned  by  Froissart 
among  those  who  failed  to  join  the  banner  of  Montfort;  Gui  de  Laval,  Geoffroy 
de  Toumemine  and  Jean  de  Quintin  perished  in  the  battle  of  La  Roche  Derrien 
in  1347  (cf.  Froissart,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  III,  327,  371).  There  are  two 
Rohans  in  Brittany  (1)  of  Finist^re;  (2)  of  Morbihan,  of  which  the  latter  is 
undoubtedly  meant.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  France  and  was  made  a 
vicomt^  in  1100.  Rochan  (D309)  is  unusual  and  is  possibly  due  to  Rochefort 
(D308) ;  only  Rohan,  Rohen,  and  Roen  are  found  in  Cuvelier  and  the  Livre.  The 
author  of  the  Bataille  is  evidently  suggesting  a  contrast  between  the  noble  families 
of  Beaivmanoir's  party  (and  the  loyalty  of  the  great  Breton  famiUes  as  well)  and 
the  crowd  of  routiers  whom  Brambro  presents. 

P331,— paowr:  as  monosyllable,  is  found  frequently  in  western  texts  (cf. 
Livre,  251,  821,  1220,  etc.,  quoted  by  Reis,  op.  cit.,  p.  14). 

B297. — {con)fondu:  the  scribe  wrote  feru  before  confondu  and  later  crossed  it 
out;  feru  would  have  given  a  hemistich  metrically  correct  but  is  impossible  as  it 
is  the  rime  word  in  the  next  line. 

D337. — Et  percii  mainte  lance:  rompu  for  perdii  as  in  B306  ( ?). 

B311-317. — this  laisse,  missing  in  D,  is  important,  as  it  contains  the  account 
of  the  rest  and  refreshment  that  the  combatants  took.  It  is  not  a  later  interpola- 
tion, for  Jehan  le  Bel  refers  to  the  incident.  It  possibly  existed  in  the  MS  from 
which  the  Didot  scribe  copied.  Laisses  XXVII  and  XXVIII  of  B  begin  in  similar 
style,  Forte  fu  la  bataille  and  Grande  fu  la  bataille.  The  scribe  was  probably 
misled  by  the  similarity  and  proceeded  with  the  following  laisse  without  noting 
the  omission.  De  Courcy,  in  his  account  of  the  battle  (op.  dt.,  p.  11),  on  the 
authority  of  Jehan  le  Bel  evidently,  speaks  of  the  two  parties  talking  with  each 
other  pleasantly — a  rather  unnatural  proceeding  which  is  not  borne  out  by  the 
text  of  the  Bataille. 

B330, — Et  Giuffroy  jure  Dieu;  MS  Et  je  jure  Dieu:  D  gives  the  correct 
reading,  for  Geofifroy  would  be  the  one  who  would  naturally  take  the  oath. 

B333. — The  prise  of  332  is  to  be  understood  as  governing  the  line. 

D360. — Does  not  occur  in  B  and  is  probably  an  interpolation.  The  author 
is  often  hard  put  for  rimes  but  the  use  of  mie  three  times,  almost  in  succession 
(359,  360,  362),  is  without  parallel  in  the  poem;  moreover,  it  is  in  sense  merely  a 
repetition  of  359. 

D361 — B336. — amye:  this  reminds  us  of  Jehan  le  Bel's  statement  that  the 
battle  was  fought  for  the  sake  of  the  ladies  and  it  may  be  that  this  reference  is 
his  authority  for  the  assertion.  Brambro  is  probably  referring  to  Jeanne  de 
Flandres,  countess  of  Montfort. 

124 


La  Batail  lede  Trente  79 

D365 — B340. — tendrons,  entendon:  Beaumanoir  is  referring  to  the  battle; 
the  sense  of  D  is  preferable. 

D369 — B344. — sur  toy  sera  hazart.  Hazart  was  a  technical  throw  of  the  dice 
and  was  generally  considered  a  good  one.  See  F.  Semran,  "  Wurfel  u.  Wiirfelspiel 
im  alten  Frankreich,"  in  ZrP,  Beih.  23  (1910). 

D372 — B347. — ^Apparently  the  scribe  of  D  did  not  understand  the  passage. 
In  B,  Buchon  and  Crapelet  both  read  d  avoir;  amoir  makes  much  the  better  sense 
(i.e.,  a  verbal  formation  from  mutus),  "to  make  dumb"  or  "silence."  Cf.  P^an 
Gatineau,  Vie  de  St.  Martin,  11.  6655,  10167.  L.  1572  has  amoi  in  the  sense  of 
"made  weak"  (Lat.  orig.  labefacti);  cf.  T.  Soderhjelm,  Die  S'prache  in  dem  afz^ 
Martinsleben  des  Pean  Gatineau  aus  Tours,  Helsingfors,  1906. 

B352. — Is  unnecessary;  an  interpolation  (?). 

D382. — d  [la]  terre  estandu:  MS  reads  without  la  which  gives  a  case  of  hiatus. 
This  sort  of  hiatus  is  foimd  in  the  Bataille,  but  cf.  B358. 

D387. — Uen:  with  diaeresis  the  hemistich  is  correct.  This  diaeresis  of  ie  is 
found  frequently  in  the  lAvre,  e.g.,  hiens,  493;  ti'en,  309,  etc.  (cf.  Reis,  op.  cit, 
p.  13).    We  might  possibly  read  Or  pensis,  etc. 

B359.~Ze(2)  Bouez:  should  read  le  hon{t).    Cf.  D383. 

B360.— De  cestu  es  (tu)  vengie:  we  might  read  De  cest(u)  es  tu  vengii  as  in 
D385.     But  cestu  is  attested  by  rime  (B363). 

B365. — fiertes:  the  scribe  wrote  fertes,  later  inserting  an  i  between  e  and  r. 
Fiertesi-i  his  regular  form  (cf.  44,  51,  461). 

B37ib.— Cf.  BIOO. 

Bi^^i—hlechiers:  Buchon  alters  to  blechiSs  but  Crapelet  follows  MS. 

B387a. — Apres  y  demoura;  D  reads  differently.  For  y  cf.  Belifort  y  fu, 
1.  388. 

D428 — B402. — mourir:  in  the  transitive  sense;  Beaumanoir  is  the  subject. 

B403. — The  Une  is  badly  corrupted  in  the  MSS  which  reads,  Et  d'Ardaine 
da  derains,  ly  conuett  soudoiant.  The  da  is  evidently  an  error  through  which  the 
scribe  neglected  to  draw  a  Une  as  he  does  in  other  cases  (cf.  1.  297).  D'Ardaine 
came  from  Rennes  (cf .  Introduction,  II) ;  as  for  conuett  it  may  be  convert,  i.e., 
"turncoat"  (?)  which  accords  well  with  the  sense  and  would  be  a  natural  epithet 
for  a  supporter  of  the  Blois  party  to  apply  to  a  Breton  fighting  on  the  other  side. 

B43 1-440. — Are  omitted  from  D  probably  by  carelessness.  From  D452  we 
infer  that  mention  is  about  to  be  made  of  the  oak  of  Mye-Voie;  but  instead  of 
continuing,  the  scribe  writes,  "L^  fut  done  maint  coup  de  hache  et  de  martel," 
which  is  lacking  in  B. 

B430-431. — The  lines  are  very  disconnected  unless  fu  is  inserted  before  Le 
chesne.  The  Oak  of  Mye-Voie  became  famous  as  the  monument  of  the  Bataille. 
It  fell  of  old  age  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  was  replaced 
by  a  cross  called  "La  Croix  de  la  Bataille  des  Trente."  This  cross,  fallen  in  its 
turn,  was  raised  in  1776  at  the  expense  of  the  states  of  Brittany,  was  destroyed 
in  the  Revolution  and  replaced  by  an  obelisk,  raised  July  18,  1819,  the  year  of 
the  Freminville  edition.  Crapelet  {op.  cit.,  pp.  69-110)  and  De  Courcy  (op.  cit., 
pp.  15-19)  give  a  long  account  of  the  ceremonies  on  this  occasion.  An  illustra- 
tion of  the  monument  of  1776  is  given  by  D'Auvergne  (cf.  Archeologia,  VI  [1782], 

125 


80  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

p.  144)  according  to  whom  it  was  not  a  new  monument  but  merely  the  restoration 
of  an  old  one.  The  oak  stood  on  a  slight  rise  of  ground  and  is  represented  in  the 
frontispiece  of  De  Ck)urcy's  work  from  the  original  illustration  in  the  MS  of 
Pierre  Le  Baud. 

B433. — moncel.  The  herisson  or  moncel  was  the  hollow  square  the  English 
formed  to  resist  attack.    It  was  extremely  efficient  at  Cr^cy  and  Poitiers. 

1^455* — Sainct  Marcel:  Wetzer-Welte  (op.  ciL,  article  "Marcellus")  quote 
five  saints  of  this  name  down  to  the  fourteenth  century.  It  may  be  St.  Marcel, 
bishop  of  Paris,  d.  436  (day,  November  1);  cf.  Holland,  Bill.  Hag.  Lat.  (1900), 
p.  779.  We  have  here  probably  a  local  trait,  for  St.  Marcel  was  a  little  parish 
(mentioned  in  the  Diet,  des  Communes  as  Morhihan,  arr.  Vannes),  united  in  the 
fifteenth  century  to  the  parish  of  Bohal  (cf .  Abb6  Luco,  Bvll.  soc.  polymMhique  de 
Morbihan  [1876],  1st.  Semester,  p.  79).  B  reads  com  gentU  demmsd  and  in  B440 
(not  in  D)  St.  Michiel  is  mentioned. 

1^457-458  • — B  interverts  these  Unes. 

B44oa. — For(men)t  fu  desconfiti:  the  scribe  probably  took  fort  as  an  abbre- 
viation for  forment. 

B449.— /eronf  eidx:  the  tonic  form  for  the  atonic.  Bretagne  and  Maine 
show  this  dialectical  peculiarity  of  eulx  for  conjunctive  ils  (cf.  Goerlich,  op.  dt., 
p.  71). 

B467. — hoirs]hoirez;  Buchon,  hoirs;  Crapelet,  hoirez.  Hoiers  is  found  as 
monosyllable  in  the  Ldvre,  2986;  as  for  the  form  hoirs  in  a  Picard  MS;  cf.  the 
Chartes  of  Pas-de-Calais  di  1292  (Schwan-Behrens,  op.  dt,  p.  250)  and  of  St. 
Quentin  (Aisne)  of  1219  (idem,  p.  256).  The  meter  requires  hoirs  or  possibly 
hoiers  as  in  the  Livre. 

D488-489. — The  gap  in  D  represents  the  last  of  B,  laisse  XXXIV,  and  all  of 
B,  viz.,  33  Unes,  equivalent  to  a  page  of  MS.  Apparently  the  scribe  of  D  (or  the 
scribe  of  his  model)  has  made  the  same  sort  of  omission  as  the  B  scribe  who 
omitted  laisse  V  of  D. 

D488. — disconfiUs:  evidently  the  past  participle  of  a  verb  disconfiter  formed 
from  the  participle  of  the  regular  verb  desconfire. 

B480. — Montjoie:  the  old  war  cry  of  France,  of  uncertain  origin,  though  it 
probably  comes  from  Mons  Gaudii  rather  than  Meum  Gaudium  (G.  Paris,  Romania, 
XXXI,  417,  note).  The  case  is  best  summed  up  by  J.  B6dier  {Les  Legendes 
ilpiques,  Paris,  1908,  II,  225-39)  in  connection  with  the  passages  in  the  Roland 
(3084-96  and  2501-1 1 ) .  Montjoie  is  first  mentioned  by  Orderic  Vital  in  describing 
a  battle  of  1119  (B^dier,  op.  dt.,  235,  note). 

B483. — amornez;  Buchon,  aomSs. 

B484. — Dieu  croisse  [en]  bontez:  though  metrically  correct,  the  sense  demands  en. 

B506-7. — These  characters,  taken  from  the  Old  French  epic,  show  the 
purpose  of  the  author  of  the  BataiUe  to  imitate  the  epic  style  of  composition. 
Charles  le  her,  i.e.,  Charlemagne;  Guillaume  au  cornair  is  the  hero  of  the  Cycle 
d'Orange.  He  is  called  Guillaume  au  cort  nSs  in  Aliscans;  Guillaume  au  cornais 
in  the  Enfances  Vivien  (cf.  Langlois,  Table  des  Noms  Propres,  art.  "Guillaume 
d'Orange")- 

B518. — Cejour  leur  soil  (en)  ate:  the  rime  of  the  laisse  proves  ale  trisyllabic. 

126 


La  Bataille  de  Trentb  81 


VOCABULARY 

(Note. — The  vocabulary  is  not  a  complete  list  of  all  the  words  in  the  Bataille. 
Words  whose  form  or  sense  do  not  differ  from  modem  French  are,  in  general,  omitted 
The  numbers  refer  to  the  lines;  those  numbers  which  are  not  preceded  by  letter  refer 
to  the  Bigot  MS;  those  with  the  letter  D  refer  to  Didot.) 

achier,  ader,  v.a.,  achever;   complete,  fulfil.    Pp.  achivS  D52  (cf.  Reis,  op.  dt., 

§28). 
accordance,  s.f.,  accord;  agreement.    D125,  avons  accordance,  we  are  agreed. 
anchesourie,  assessourie,  s.f.,  ancienne  et  noble  race;  ancestry. 
aconcheu,  v.  aconsuivre. 

aconsuivre,  v.a.,  atteindre;  strike.    Pp.  aconcheu  357. 
actendre,  v.a.,  attendre;  await,    actendron  D259.    Pp.  actendu  D379. 
admeine,  v.  amener. 
adoncques,  adv.,  alors;  then. 

adjoumement,  ajoumement,  s.m.,  jour  fixe;  set  day. 
adviSf  V.  avis, 
aet,  V.  avoir. 

affoler,  v.a.,  blesser;  maim. 
agraventer,  v.a.,  abattre,  ^eraser;  beat  down,  crush.    Norman  and  Picard  patois 

have  cravanter  today  in  this  sense  (Godefroy). 
aie,  aye,  s.f.,  aide;  succor. 
aillie  (ailliie),  s.f.,  ail;  garlic. 
ains,  prep.,  avant;  before. 
ainsin,  adv.,  ainsi;  so. 
aist,  V.  ayder. 

aloser,  v.a.,  couvrir  de  gloire;  glorify.    Pp.  alos4,  estim6;  esteemed. 
ambler,  v.  emhler. 
amener,  v.a.,  amener;  bring  along.    Pres.  ind.  3,  amaine  207;  ameine  D246;  fut. 

4,  amerron  216. 
amme,  s.f.,  dme;  soul  D20;  arme  20. 
amoir,  v.a.,  silencer;  silence. 
amornez,  adj.,  morne,  sombre;    gloomy,  forbidding.     (From  amorner  =  se  mor' 

tifier. — Godefroy.) 
ampres,  apres,  prep,  and  adv.,  apr^s;  after. 

amoure,   adj.,   afiil^,    aiguis^e;    pointed,   sharpened.      The  LHct.   GinSral  dis- 
tinguishes this  word  from  the  present  nautical  term,  "Coin  d'une  basse 

voile  fix6  du  c6t6  d'o^  vient  le  vent." 
an,  en,  on,  pron.,  on;  one.    The  indefinite  pronoun  on  regularly  appears  as  I'en 

or  Van  in  the  N.W.  dialects  (cf.  Goerlich,  op.  dt,  p.  75).      In  the  unem- 

phatic  position  following  the  verb  we  find  on  (cf.  D77). 
araisonner,  aroisonner,  v.a.,  adresser  la  parole;  harangue. 
ar6,  eri,  s.m.,  terre  labour^e;  fields.    Still  today  in  Anjou,  "on  prononce  la  rie" 

(Ch.  Meniere,  Glossaire  etym.  et  compar.  du  Patois,  angevin.  Angers,  1881, 

p.  36). 
arrestezon  (for  arrestison  or  arrestoison),  s.f.,  arret;  delay.     (For  the  form  of  the 

suffix,  cf.  Nyrop,  Gram.  Hist.,  Ill,  §281.) 
assessourie,  v.  anchesourie. 

127 


82  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

ataindre,  v.a.,  atteindre;  strike.    Pres.  ind.  3,  ataint. 

atargier,  v.n.,  tarder;  delay. 

aujour  d'^,  adv.,  aujourd'hui;  today  (210,  D249).    Cf.  Introduction,  V,  i,  6. 

oim,  adv.,  aussi;  also. 

avis,  advis,  B.m.,  &vi8;  opinion;  am  D254(?). 

avoir,  v.a.,  avoir;  have.  Ind.  fut.  1,  auroy  D152;  3,  ara  198,  aura  237;  6,  aront 
319;  pret.  3,  oust  D34,  ot  D33,  eust  D37;  3,  urent  312,  ourent  180;  subj. 
pres.  3,  aet  D461,  ait  D288;  6,  aient  52,  ayent  51. 

avoueltre,  adj.,  ill6gitime;  illegitimate  D95.  It  is  also  possible  that  the  author 
uses  this  word  in  the  sense  of  itranger,  michant,  perverti,  which  is  its  figura- 
tive value;  cf.  "E  cumenzet  a  cultiver  deus  avuiltres  e  aiirer,"  Livre  des 
Rois,  ed.  Leroux  de  Lincy,  p.  268,  which  is  a  translation  of  the  Latin, 
"colueritis  deos  alienos." 

ayder,  aider,  v.a.,  aider;  ind.  pres.  3,  aist  77. 

hacheler,  bachelier,  s.m.,  jeune  homme  ou  chevalier;  young  man  or  knight. 

hacinet,  hacynet,  s.m.,  casque  de  fer  tres  l^ger;  light  helmet. 

haffier,  s.m.,  moqueur;  taunter. 

haneret,  bannerois,  adj.,  ayant  le  droit  de  porter  une  bani^re;  banneret. 

barast  (for  barat),  s.m.,  tromperie,  fraude;  deception,  fraud. 

hamaige,  bemage,  s.m.,  assembl^e  de  barons;  baronage. 

bavlt,  adj.,  joyeux;  happy. 

bayer,  b&er,  v.n.,  bayer;  gape  {b^er  is  the  Picard  form. — Godefroy). 

belement,  bellement,  adv.,  gentiment;  nobly. 

beneichon,  beneisson,  s.f.,  benediction;  blessing. 

ber,  s.m.,  baron;  baron. 

bemage,  v.  barnaige. 

besoigner,  besoignier,  v.n.,  travailler;  take  care. 

besser,  v.a.,  diminuer;  decrease. 

beuff,  bouef,  s.m.,  boeuf ;  ox. 

hiau,  adj.,  beau;  fine,  beautiful. 

blechie,  blecii,  pp.  of  blechier  (blecier),  v.a.,  blesser;  wound. 

boire,  v.a.,  boire;  drink.    Pp.  beii. 

boudie,  V.  boydie. 

bouef,  V.  beuff. 

bouter,  v.  refl.,  se  jeter;  cast  oneseK.  "^ 

boydie,  boudie,  s.f.,  m^chancete,  perfidie;  malice,  perfidy. 

branc,  s.m.,  €p6e;  sword. 

bu,  s.m.,  tronc  du  corps;  trunk  (of  the  body). 

caucher,  v.a.,  chausser;  to  fasten  on  the  feet. 

eel,  dem.  pron.,  obi.  case,  celuy;  as  adj.  D19. 

cele,  s.m.  (for  lieu  cele);  en  ceU+en  cachette;  in  a  dungeon. 

cenel,  s.m.,  canal;  little  stream. 

centence,  v.  sentence. 

certen,  certein,  certain,  adj.,  certain,  D24,  88,  D253. 

certeinement,  adv.,  surement;  certainly.  (The  groups  ai  and  ei  had  the  value  e 
by  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century  in  the  N.W.;  cf.  Goeriich,  op.  cit., 
p.  17.) 

cest,  pron.  and  adj.,  ce,  celui;  this,  this  one.    Obi.  masc.  sg.  cest,  cestu,  cestuy,  cetuy. 

128 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  83 

chaillenge,  v.  chalenger. 

chaindre,  v.a.,  ceindre;  gird  on. 

chair,  v.  cheoir. 

chalenger,  chalonger,  chaillenger,  v.a.,  challenger;    challenge,  defy.     (The  form 

with  ai  is  unusual;  cf.  Schwan-Behrens,  §87  (2)  A.) 
chappie,  s.m.,  carnage,  mel6e;  slaughter,  fight. 
chenel,  s.m.,  petit  chene;  small  oak. 

cheoir,  v.n.,  tomber;  fall.    Pret.  3,  chay  358,  chet  D382;  pp.  cheu  354,  chet  D390. 
chere,  v.  chiere. 
chesp,  sep,  s.m.,  "morceau  de  bois  emboitant  les  pieds  des  prisonniers " ;  stocks. 

(Cf.  Deschamps,  Oeuvres,  ed.  Soc.  Anc.  Textes  (1891),  X,  p.  20,  and  also 

G.  Paris,  Romania,  XXX,  386.) 
chetif,  chetiff,  adj.  as  subst.,  prisonnier;  prisoner.  '. 

chi,  V.  cy. 

chief,  s.m.,  tete;  head,    d  chief  de,  etc.  (223,  D262)  =au  bout  de;  at  the  end  of. 
chiere,  chere,  s.f.,  visage,  mine;  face,  countenance. 
clarjon,  v.  clergon. 
cler,  adj.,  clair;  bright. 
clergon,  clarjon,  s.m.,  petit  clerc;  little  clerk. 
colee,  collee,  s.f.,  coup;  blow.     (Still  current  today  in  Anjou,  cf .  Meniere,  op.  cit., 

p.  111.) 
comparer,  comperer,  v.a.,  payer  cher,  expier;  pay  dear  for,  expiate  (cf.  Goerlich, 

op.  cit.,  p.  23). 
compter,  v.a.,  raconter;  relate. 

congneii,  pp.  of  congnoistre,  v.a.,  connaltre;  be  acquainted  with,  know. 
convenir,  couvenir,  v.n.,  convenir;  to  be  fitting  or  necessary. 
coul,  s.m.,  cou;  neck. 
courant,  adj.  from  courir:  courant;  fleet. 
courage,  s.m.,  intention;  purpose. 

courrouchier,  courrouder,  v.a.,  courroucer;  to  anger  or  become  angry. 
couste,  cost4,  s.m.,  cote;  side. 
couvenir,  v.  convenir. 
coux,  pi.  of  coup  101. 
croistre,  v.a.,  augmenter;  increase. 
cuider,  v.a.,  penser,  croire;  think,  believe. 
cuy dance,  s.f.,  opinion  mal  fondle;  unfounded  belief. 
cy,  chi,  adv.,  ici;  here. 
dam,  dom,  s.m.,  seigneur;    master  (in  contemptuous  sense).    In  works  of  the 

eleventh  to  thirteenth  centuries  danz  added  to  the  insult  (cf.  Stowell, 

Titles  of  respect  in  Old  French,  Baltimore,  1908,  p.  111). 
dard,  s.m.,  dard;   dart.     "Cette  arme  6tait  montee  sur  un  manche  de  bois  de  6 

h  7  pieds  de  long"  (Crapelet).     Cf.  also  Keller,  Anglo-Saxon  Weapon 

Names,  Heidelberg,  1905,  p.  132. 
davancier,  s.m.,  devancier;  front. 
de,  detz,  s.m.,  d€;  dice,  343,  D368. 
dechi,  adv.,  de  ce  cote;  on  this  side. 
decza,  adv.,  de  ce  c6te-la;  on  that  side. 
deffaillance,  s.f.,  faute;  failure. 

129 


84  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

defaloir,  v.n.,  manquer;  be  wanting  (cf.  deffaillir;  see  Meyer-Lttbke,  Hist.  Gram., 

§321). 
deffier,  v.a.,  declarer  la  guerre,  d^fier;  declare  war,  defy. 
definer,  v.n.,  prendre  fin,  terminer;  come  to  an  end,  die. 
demoisel  (for  damoisel),  a.m.,  jeune  gentilhonmie;  young  noble. 
demourance,  s.f.,  hesitation;  reluctance. 

demourer,  v.n.,  rester,  rester  au  lieu  de;  remain,  be  in  the  place  of. 
departir,  v.a.,  s^parer;  disperse. 
deprier,  v.a.,  prier  avec  instance;    pray  fervently.     (Still  used  in  Anjou;    cf. 

Meniere,  op.  dt.,  p.  134.) 
desconfort,  s.m.,  d^couragement;  discouragement. 
desesperance,  s.f.,  d^sespoir;  despair. 
desverie,  s.f.,  folic,  action  mauvaise;  madness,  evil  action. 
detz,  V.  di. 
deul,  V.  dueil. 
devis  (pp.  of  desver),  adj.,  fou;  mad.     (Meniere,  op.  dt.,  p.  166,  quotes  endevi, 

perdre  le  calme  ordinaire.) 
devier,  v.n.,  mourir;  die. 
devis,  s.m.,  plaisir;  pleasure. 
devision,  s.f.,  division;  selection.     (For  the  various  significations  of  this  word  see 

Berger,  Die  Lehnworter  in  d.  frz.  Spr.  dltester  Zeit,  Leipzig,  1899,  p.  100.) 
devoir,  v.a.,  devoir;  ought,  owe.    Pres.  ind.  3,  doiht  488;  imperfect  ind.  6,  dehvoient 

D226;  fut.  3,  debvra  D162. 
dient,  dies,  dig&s,  v.  dire, 
dimence,  dimenche,  a.m.,  dimanche;  Sunday. 

dire,  v.a.,  dire;  say.     Pres.  ind.  6,  dient  66;  pres.  subj.  5,  dies  241;  dig4s  D279. 
dit,  dix,  s.m.,  parole,  petit  po^me;  word,  short  poem. 
doeul,  V.  dueil. 
doiht,  V.  devoir, 
doint,  V.  doner. 

dolent,  adj.,  triste,  miserable;  sad,  unhappy. 
dom,  V.  dam. 

domage,  doumaige,  s.m.,  dommage;  harm. 
doner,  v.a.,  donner;  give.    Pres.  subj.  3,  doint  D166,  dont  125. 
dormir,  v.n.,  dormir;  sleep.    With  gesir  in  the  sense  of  pdmer,  s'^vanouir;  swoon, 

faint;  sometimes  alone  in  the  same  sense;  (cf.  "L'autre  sauvage  qui  avoit 

cependant  dormy  au  coup,  etc.,"  quoted  by  Godefroy). 
doumaige,  v.  domage. 
droitturier,  adj.,  droit,  juste;  just. 
dueil,  doeul,  deul,  s.m.,  douleur,  deuil;  grief,  mourning. 
duree,  s.f.,  resistance;  staying-power.    Cf.  "Li  noble  n'auroient  point  de  dur6e  h. 

euls"  (Froissart,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  II,  17). 
efforcer,  v.a.,  se  renforcer;  reinforce. 
effroier,  v.  refl.,  avoir  peur;  become  afraid. 
election,  s.f.,  choix;  choice. 
em,  prep,  and  pron.  (for  en), 
emhler,  ambler,  v.a.,  prendre,  d^rober;  take,  ravage.     (According  to  Godefroy,  the 

word  is  still  used  in  Normandy.) 

130 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  85 

emprise,  s.f.,  esprit  entreprenant  (Bartsch),  violence  (Godefroy) ;  rashness. 

enchoisir,  v.a.,  61ire;  select. 

encontre,  s.f.,  rencontre,  combat;  meeting,  combat. 

engignant,  engingnant,  part,  of  engignier,  engingnier,  v.a.,  tromper;  deceive. 

enmener,  v.a.,  emmener;  lead  away.    Fut.  6,  enmerront. 

ensuivant,  part,  of  ensuivre,  v.a.,  ensuivant,  suivant;  following. 

enty  adv.,  dans  cette  affaire;  in  this  business. 

entendon,  s.f.,  intention,  sens;  purpose,  idea. 

entente,  s.f.,  avis,  pens6e;  opinion,  thought. 

entiers,  adj.,  entier,  loyal,  irr^prochable;  loyal,  faultless. 

entreprinse,  s.f.,  entreprise,  conqudte;  undertaking,  conquest. 

envier,  v.a.,  d^sirer,  chercher;  desire,  seek. 

encomhrier,  s.m.,  malheur;  ill  fortune. 

ere,  v.  are.  f 

hs:  contraction  for  en  les. 

esbahy,  pp.  of  esbahir,  v.a.,  troubler,  d^soler;  trouble,  terrify. 

escremie,  s.f.,  escrime;  skirmish. 

esmoulu,  pp.  of  esmoudre,  v.a.,  aiguiser;  sharpen. 

esparpillier,  v.a.,  disperser;  scatter. 

essoUs,  imperative  of  essoier  for  essaier,  v.a.,  tdter,  6prouver;  strive,  struggle. 

Cf.  effroier  for  effraier  393. 
{estendre),  v.a.,  ^tendre;  extend.    Pret.  3,  estendy  354. 
ester,  v.n.,  se  tenir,  ^tre  debout;  to  remain,  remain  standing. 
estor,  estour,  s.m.,  assaut,  combat;  attack,  combat. 
estoutie,   s.f.,   pr^somption,  t6m6rit6;   impertinence,    daring    (from  Ger.  stolz; 

Flemish,  stout,  cf.  Froissart,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  XIX,  200). 
estre,  v.n.,  ^tre. 

esturmie,  s.f.,  alarme,  tumulte;  alarm,  tumult. 
esvertuer,  evertuer,  v.a.,  s'^vertuer;  strive  one's  best. 
eure,  oeure,  s.f.,  heure;  hour. de  complie,  hour  of  completorium  (cf.  Wetzer- 

Welte,  op.  cit.,  article:  "Completorium"). 
exoine,  s.f.,  excuse  legale;  legal  excuse. 

expleter,  exploitier,  v.n.,  agir  vite,  se  h^ter;  act  quickly,  hasten. 
Faescon,  s.f.,  fagon,  mani^re;  way,  manner.     (This  ae  is  a  Breton  characteristic; 

checked,  pretonic  a  with  attracted  i;  cf.  Reis,  op.  cit.,  p.  18.) 
faesmes,  v.  faire. 
f alliance,  s.f.,  faute;  failure. 

failli  (pp.  oifaillir),  s.m.,  faux,  traltre;  traitor,  renegade. 
faindre,  v.a.,  feindre;   feign;   as  refl.,  h^siter;   hesitate.     Imper.  2,  faing  343, 

D368. 
faire,  v.a.,  faire;   make,  do.    Fut.  1,  fere  105;   imperative  1,  faesmes  D68  (cf. 

Schwan-Behrens,  §139,  2,  Al). 
fauchart,  fauchon,  fussart,  s.m.,  coutelas;  broadsword. 
fauldri,  fut.  1  oifaillir,  v.a.,  abandonner;  forsake. 
fehle,  flehe,  adj.,  faible;  feeble,  weak. 

felon,  s.m.  (obi.  case  of  adj.fel),  traltre,  sc616rat;  rascal,  villain. 
feri,  V.  faire. 

ferre,  pp.  of  ferrer,  v.a.,  enchatner;  put  in  irons. 

131 


86  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

festu,  s.m.,  f6tu;  bundle  of  straw.     (For  the  form  of  this  word,  cf.  Meyer-Liibke, 

Zt.  /.  dst.  Gym,  [1891],  p.  770.) 
fiancier,  v.a.,  certifier;  pledge.     Pres.  ind.  1,  fiant  72. 
fiertS,  s.f.,  fiert6,  hardiment,  violence;  pride,  daring,  violence. 
flaiel,  flayeuL,  s.m.,  fl6au;  flail. 
jiehe,  V.  jehle. 
flour,  s.f.,  fleur;  flower,     (ow  from  o  free  is  regular  for  all  western  dialects;  o  is 

the  regular  orthography  up  to  ca.  end  of  the  thirteenth  century,  ou  from 

then  on;    eu  from  Francian  appears  late  in  the  fourteenth  century,  cf. 

Reis,  op.  cit.,  p.  41;  Goerlich,  op.  cit.,  pp.  52-53.) 
forment,  adv.,  fortement,  beaucoup;  powerfully,  much. 
fort,  adj.,  fort;   strong.    Je  m'en  fais  fori — "je  me  porte  garant,"  cf.  Farce  de 

Pathelin;    Bartsch,    Chrest.   96,    128.    Godefroy   also   presents   similar 

idioms,  e.g.,  se  rendre  fort,  se  porter  fort, 
foumi  (pp.  oi  foumir)  as  adj.,  fort,  grand;  strong,  great. 
fuir,  v.a.,  and  n.,  fuir;  flee.    Fut.  6,  fouyront  D313. 
Gaieres,  guaires,  adv.,  gudre;  scarcely. 

genestay,  s.m.,  Ueu  plants  de  genets;  field  covered  with  broom. 
gesir,  v.n.,  ^tre  couch6;  lie.    Ind.  pres.  3,  giest  360;  gist  371,  D396. 
geter,  v.a.,  jeter;  throw.    Imperative  2,  gette  D368;  giete  343. 
gient,  s.f.,  gent;  people. 

glout,  glouton,  s.m.,  glouton,  brigand;  glutton,  brigand. 
goberge,  gouherge,  s.f.,  forfanterie,  moquerie;  boast,  insult.     In  the  form  gdbegie=' 

ruse,  tromperie,  this  word  is  still  in  use  in  the  west.    Cf.  Vocabulaire  du 

Berry  et  des  Provinces  voisines,  recueilla  par  un  amateur  du  vieux  language, 

Paris,  1838  and  L.  Favre,  Glossaire  du  Poitou,  Niort,  1868.     "On  prononce 

gabgie"  (L.  Favre). 
gotUe,  s.f.,  gueule;  throat,  jaws. 
grader,  v.a.,  remercier;  thank. 

grandement,  adv.,  grandement,  beaucoup;  greatly,  much. 
gresiUons,  s.m.,  lit.  ''grillons."     "Attache  de  fer  primitivement  en  forme  de  gril, 

que  Ton  mettait  aux  mains  des  criminels"  (Godefroy).    Cf.  Cuvellier,  B. 

du  Guesclin,   1.    13791.     "gresillon=grillon,"   Grain,    "Patois    d'lUe-et- 

Vilaine,"  in  Rev.  lAnguistique,  XVII,  Paris,  1884. 
guaires,  v.  gaieres. 

guerroier,  guerroyer,  v.a.,  faire  la  guerre  h]  make  war  on. 
^air,  v.n.,  hair;  hate.     Fut.  6,  feaerronf  201;  hayeront'D2^0.    The  stem  of  the 

fut.  and  cond.  of  hair  was  regularly  monosyllabic. 
hasterel,  s.m.,  nuque  du  cou;  back  of  the  neck. 
haubergon,  hauberjon,  s.m.,  petit  haubert;    small  hauberk.     "Cotte  de  mailles 

qui  couvrait  la  poitrine  jusqu'au  defaut  des  cotes  et  descendait  jusqu'aux 

genoux;   les  nobles  et  les  chevaliers  avaient  seuls  le  droit  de  les  porter" 

(Crapelet). 
hoir,  s.m.,  h^ritier;  heir. 
hazart,  s.m.,  hasard;  luck. 
Image,  ymxiige,  s.f.,  image;  image. 
jouel,  s.m.,  petit  jeu;    httle  game.     La  Borderie,  op.  cit.,  p.  526,  n.  7.     La 

Borderie's  explanation  is  questionable;  from  lez  438,  we  may  conclude 

132 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  87 

that  the  martel  is  no  longer  the  subject  referred  to.    FoTJouel  in  the  sense 

we  indicate,  cf .  Godefroy,  who  quotes  a  long  passage  from  Froissart. 
jowrnee,  s.f.,  journ^e;  day.     Preridre  ^owrnde = preferer  un  jour;   allot  a  day;  cf. 

Froissart,  ed.  K.  de  Lettenhove,  VIII,  210,  where  the  term  is  similarly 

used. 
jouvencel,  jovencel,  s.m.,  jouvenceau;  youth. 
Labourer,  v.a.,  cultiver;  cultivate. 

letare  Jherusalem,  i.e.,  the  fourth  Sunday  of  Lent,  cf .  Wetzer-Welte,  s.v. 
lie,  adj.,  gai,  joyeux;  gay,  happy. 

losengier,  s.m.,  trompeur,  calomniateur;  deceiver,  falsifyer. 
lourdie,  s.f.,  betise;  stupidity. 

lu,  ly,  pers.  pron.,  obi.  case  of  il  (for  lui).    Cf.  Introduction,  V,  i,  21. 
Maill,  s.m.,  maillet;  mace. 
maindre,  comp.  of  moins.,  moindre;  less. 
maine,  v.  mener. 

maistrie,  mestrie,  s.f.,  puissance;  power. 
maitent,  pres.  sub.  6  of  metre, 
mander,  v.a.,  demander;  ask. 
marry,  adj.,  afflig6;  distressed. 
m^ugr6,  maulgre,  prep.,  malgr6;  in  spite  of. 
mectes,  pres.  ind.  5  of  metre, 
m^ina,  v.  mener. 

memhr^,  part.  adj.  from  memhrer,  v.a.,  prudent;  wise. 
m^ner,  v.a.,  mener;  lead.     Pres.  ind.  3,  maine  42,  D40;  pret.  3,  meina  D95. 
menestrier,  s.m.,  minstrel.    Haulx  menestriers  (D5)  are  those  who  sing  of  the  deeds 

of  heroes  as  distinguished  from  the  minstrels  who  treat  less  dignified 

themes. 
menu,  adj.,  menu,  petit;  small,  of  lower  degree. 
merchier,  v.a.,  remercier;  thank. 
merchier,  s.m.,  marchand;  merchant,  tradesman.     (The  humble  origin  of  at  least 

one  of  Brambro's  party  [KnoUes,  cf.  De  Courcy,  p.  61]  is  known.) 
meshuy,  adv.,  desormais;  henceforth  (cf.  Vocabulaire  du  Berry,  p.  29.) 
m£sprendre,  v.refl.,  se  tromper;  deceive  oneself. 
mestier,  s.m.,  service,  office;    position,  office.     Avoir  mestier,  82,  D128,  avoir 

besoin  de,  convenir  bon. 
mestrie,  v.  maistrie. 

moncel,  s.m.,  amas,  tas;  closely  massed  group. 

mot,  s.m.,  espece  de  po^me,  "petit  poeme  descriptif "  (Godefroy  supp.). 
musart,  s.m.,  fou,  sot,  dupe;  fool,  dupe. 
my,  adj.,  demi;  half,     en  my,  au  milieu  de;  in  the  midst  of. 
Naistre,  v.n.,  nattre;  to  be  born.     Pret.  3,  naquist  D366;  nasqui  514;  nacquist 

D490. 
noiant,  nyant,  rien;  nothing.     Cuvelier,  B.  du  Gues.,  1353  has  neent;  the  lAvre, 

neant  1544,  2005,  2092,  etc.;  nyant  2245;  noyant  3183;  in  all  cases  2  syl. 

The  word  is  always  2  syl.  in  Wace  and  Benoit,  cf.  Suchier,  Voy.  Ton., 

p.  140. 
0,  prep.,  avec;  with.    Apud  regularly  gives  o  in  N.W.  dialects  and  occasionally 

ou  in  Berry  (cf.  GoerUch,  op.  cit.,  p.  78).     It  remains  still  in  the  patois  of 

133 


88  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

Haute-Maine,  cf .  Vocabidaire  dea  mots  TiaiUa  dans  le  Haute-Maine,  C.R.  de 

M.,  Le  Mans,  1889,  a.v. 
ohladon,  s.f.,  ofifrande;  vow. 
ochire,  v.a.,  tuer;  kill.    Fut.  1,  ochiray  355. 
octrier,  v.  ottrier. 
oeure,  v.  cure, 
oiiez,  V.  ouir. 

onques,  onquez,  adv.,  jamais;  never. 
ordenance,  s.f.,  disposition,  ordre;  assignment,  order. 
ordination,  s.f.,  ordonnance;  order.    Par  ordination  316,  en  ordre;  in  order,  one 

after  another. 
orguel,  ourgouil,  s.m.,  orgueil;  pride. 
orihle,  adj.,  horrible. 

orphanitS  (variants  orphenti,  orphantS),  s.f.,  abandon,  douleur;  distress. 
orris,  v.  ouir. 
orrois,  v.  ouir. 

ottrier,  oQtrier,  v.a.,  accorder,  permettre;  grant,  permit. 
ou=el=en  le. 
ouir,  ouyr,  v.a.,  entendre;  hear.    Imperative  5,  oiiez  D293;  fut.  5,  orris  D464; 

orrois  256. 
ourgouil,  v.  orguel. 

Panoncel,  pennoncel,  a.m.,  petit  enseigne;  pennant. 
paour,  s.f.,  peur;  fear. 
paouvre,  povre,  adj.,  pauvre;  poor. 
paramer,  paraymer,  v.a.,  aimer  beaucoup;  love  greatly. 
pardurable,  adj.,  6temel;  eternal. 
pautonnier,  s.m.,  gueux,  vagabond,  "homme  pr^t  k  tout  faire"  (Godefroy);  rogue, 

vagabond. 
pener,  v.a.,  tourmenter;  torture. 
pennoncel,  v.  panoncel. 
per,  adj.,  and  s.,  6gal;  equal. 
pesant,  adj.,  lourd;  heavy. 
petticion,  s.f.,  petition;  petition. 
pie,  s.m.,  pied;   foot.    Ne  .  .  .  .  pU  QS,  215  D64=ne  ....  pas,  ne  .  .  .  . 

personne;  not,  none. 
piis,  adv.,  pis;  worse.    Le  piis;  le  pire;  the  worse.    Cf.  note  to  B295. 
plenier,  adj.,  entier,  grand;  full,  great. 
planti,  s.f.,  abondance;  plenty. 
plates,  s.f. — "Gantelets  de  lames  de  fer"  (Crapelet);  "plaques  de  metal  flexibles 

recouvrant  le  corps"  (Deschamps;  Oeuvres,  V,  99). 
poeste,  poste,  s.f.,  pouvoir,  puissance;  force,  power. 
pourroy,  fut.  1  of  pouvoir. 
poursemhler,  v.n.,  resembler  k)  resemble. 
pouvrete,  povrete,  s.f.,  privation;  privation. 
povre,  V.  paouvre. 
prendre,  v.a.,  prendre;   take.     Pret.  6,  prinrent  191;   prindrent  D143;   cond.  1, 

prandroie  D281;  prendroye  243;  pp.,  prins  D221. 
present,  s.m.,  cadeau,  don;  gift  336. 

134 


La  Bataille  de  Trente  89 

present,  adj.,  d  present  134,  D35,  en  presence,  assistant;  en  present  238,  D276, 

D375,  present. 
prinrent,  v.  prendre, 
prins,  V.  prendre. 

provdoms,  s.m.,  prud'homme;  noble  and  distinguished  man. 
Quer,  conj.,  car;  for. 

querre,  v.a.,  chercher;  seek.    Pres.  ind.  1,  quier  D94. 
Radement,  adv.,  fortement;  vigorously,  309.    With  this  word  must  be  considered 

roidement,  the  reading  of  D;    ra(iewewf=rapida+mente:    roidement  = 

rigida+mente.    However,   we  may  have  to  do  here  with  the  same 

word. 
ranchon,  ransczon,  s.f.,  rachat,  rangon;  ransom. 
repreuchier,  reproucher,  v.a.,  reprocher;  reproach, 
regwerre,  v.a.,  demander  qqch.  ^  qqn.;  ask  somebody  for  something.     Pres.  ind. 

1,  requier  195;  requiers  D234;  3,  requiert  324;  pret.  3,  requist  D349. 
roiaulme,  s.m.,  royaume;  kingdom. 
roidement,  adv.,  fortement;  vigorously  (cf.  radement). 
romants,  roumant,  s.m.,  histoire;  tale. 
rosoyer,  v.a.,  tomber  comme  la  ros4e;  fall  like  dew. 
roumander,  v.n.,  ^crire  ou  parler  en  frangais;  compose  in  the  vernacular.     (I  have 

not  been  able  to  find  this  word  elsewhere.)    The  sense  seems  plain. 
roumant,  v.  romants. 

Sahmedy,  semmedy,  s.m.,  samedi;  Saturday. 
saiches,  saickies,  v.  savoir. 

saintismes,  santismes,  adj.,  in  superlative,  tr^s  saint;  most  holy. 
sapience,  s.f.,  sagesse;  wisdom. 
savoir,  v.a.,  savoir;  know.    Pres.  ind.  1,  sgay  D188;  3,  soit  506;  5,  saicMs  D392; 

saichiis  367;  pret.  3,  stist  153. 
segneur,  s.m.,  seigneur;  lord. 

segneurie,  s.f.,  puissance,  domaine;  seignory,  domain. 
seignour,  v.  segneur. 
semmedy,  v.  sahmedy. 
seni,  adj.,  sens6;  wise. 

sentence,  centence,  s.f.,  sentence,  judgment;  opinion,  judgment. 
sep,  V.  chesp. 

serementer,  v.a.,  "prendre  la  parole  aux  prisonniers"  (Crapelet);  parole. 
seurti,  s.f.,  surety ;  surety. 
sexante,  soixante,  adj.,  soixante;  sixty.     (Cf.  lAvre,  659,  also  saixante  2488  where 

ai  =  e. 
sextier,  s.m.,  s^tier. 
Steele,  s.m.,  monde,  vie;  world,  life. 
siement,  from  semer,  v.a.,  semer;  sow.     Pres.  ind.  6. 
soeff,  s.f.,  soif;    thirst,     {oe—oi  is  also  in  the  Livre,  e.g.,  Genevoez:    Franczois 

2111-2112). 
soit,  V.  savoir. 

soudoiant,  s.m.,  traitre;  traitor. 
soudoier,  souldoyer,  s.m.,  homme  sold^;  hireling. 

sourenvier,  v.a.,  "  j'ench^rirai  sur  toi,  je  te  previendrai"   (Crapelet).     sur  give 

135 


90  Henry  Raymond  Brush 

intensive  force,  e.g.,  surmener.    Cf .  also  surabonder,  suremhrasser,  suremMU 

of  Flaubert  quoted  by  Nyrop,  op.  cit.,  Ill,  498. 
sotUiff,  adj.,  fin;  shrewd.    The  form  soutif  is  common  in  Deschamps,  cf .  Oeitvres, 

ed.  SATF.,  X,  118.    Note  also  Rom.  de.  Thbhes,  ed.  SATF.,  p.  xci. 
svrst,  V.  savoir. 
TaiUer,  v.a.,  couper;  cut. 
tappichier,  v.a.,  for  tappissier.    Pp.  as  substantive,  tappichiez  502.    This  is  the 

Picard  form  of  tappischier,  cf.  MSS  St.  Omer,  1499,  quoted  by  Godefroy. 
targier,  v.n.,  and  refl.,  tarder;  delay. 

targison,  s.f.,  sans  tarder;  without  delay.     (Cf.  note  to  arrestezon.) 
tart,  adj.,  tard;  late,    avoir  tart  147,  D188,  avoir  besoin. 
tiel,  adj.,  tel;  such  (D447,  cf.  Reis,  op.  cit.,  p.  19). 
trehucher,  trehuschier,  v.a.,  renverser,  culbuter;  overthrow. 
tressuer,  v.n.,  #tre  convert  de  sueur;  be  covered  with  sweat. 
treuvent,  pres.  ind.  6  of  trouver. 
trichierre,  s.m.,  trattre;  traitor. 
tunides,  s.f.,  cotte  d'armes.     "Sorte  de  bliaut  k  I'usage  des  hommes  seulement" 

{Godefroy).    Cf.  Cuvelier,  B.  du  Gues.,  1.  21570. 
Vantance,  s.f.,  vantardise;  boasting. 

veiUart,  vilart,  s.m.,  163,  D201,  paysan  (?);  cf.  La  Borderie,  op.  cit.,  p.  518. 
veoir,  v.a.,  voir,  see.  pp.  veu  352. 
vevlent,  v.  voloir. 
vieuit,  V.  voloir. 

vieidti,  vilte,  s.f,,  m^pris,  m6chancet6;  scorn,  contempt. 
vilart,  V.  veillart. 

villein,  s.m.,  paysan;  peasant;  as  adj.,  bas,  vilain;  low,  common. 
viltS,  V.  vieult4. 

vis,  s.m.,  figure,  visage;  face,  countenance. 
vo,  atonic  possessive  for  vostre. 
volenti,  voulanti,  voulunte,  s.f.,  volont^;  will. 
voloir,  v.a.,  vouloir;  wish.    Pres.  ind.  1,  vueil  10,  DIO;  wueil  17;  3,  vieuit  DIO; 

6,  veulent;  pres.  subj.  3,  veuille  D91;  wueille  16. 
voulante,  voulunte,  v.  volenti, 
vray,  vroy,  adj.,  vrai;  true.    As  subst.  10. 
vueil,  V.  voloir. 
Wueil,  wueille,  v.  voloir. 
Yceulx,  pron.  dem.,  obi.  plur.,  D495. 
ymaige,  v.  image, 
ysgnel,  adj.,  rapide,  vif,  prompt;  quick,  prompt,  ready. 

Henry  Raymond  Brush 
Hope  College 


136 


